


Team is a four-letter word

by LulaMadison



Series: Teamwork [4]
Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Suicide Attempt, Teamwork, avenger!loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-22
Packaged: 2017-11-16 02:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LulaMadison/pseuds/LulaMadison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After some serious therapy, Loki has now been a member of the Avengers for 2 years, but when an attack by Doom leaves him gravely ill, his team mates have to fight to save his life.</p><p>The fourth part of the team work series. Previous fics were <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/425403/chapters/713972">Better Teamwork Through Dragon Hunting</a>, <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/442607/chapters/756233">I used to be a god, but then I took an arrow to the eye</a> , and <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/467784/chapters/808271">Six hugs a day keeps the doctor away</a>. <br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“What's wrong?” Steve asked, when he found Tony loitering near the entrance to the living room of Stark Tower.

“I've got a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“The kind of problem that involves judges, restraining orders, changing my cell phone number and emigrating to the Yemen,” Tony replied, as he nodded towards the doorway.

Steve poked his head round the door and saw a woman lounging on one of the brown leather sofas, reclining as if she owned the place.

“Who the hell is that?” Steve whispered.

“I brought her here last night, treated her to what frankly was an evening of spectacular sex, let her stay the night, even cooked her an omelette before seeing her to the door, and look! She's back again!”

“How did she get past security?”

“I have no idea,” Tony replied, then he looked up and said, “Jarvis, did that woman offer you some kind of binary based sexual favours to let her back in the building?”

“I suggest you talk to the young lady, sir,” Jarvis replied.

“Good plan,” Tony said. “Steve, you're up.”

“ _Me?_ I didn't bring her in here.”

“Yeah, but you're better with awkward situations than me. I'll just babble and make a hash of things and then end up getting sued for sexual harassment or someth-” Tony was cut off when Steve placed a hand on his back and pushed him forcefully into the room, then followed behind him.

The woman looked round, clad in only a white shirt and underwear, she toyed with her long blonde hair, seductively twisting it into curls around her finger. “Hello Tony. Would you like me to get you a drink?”

“Sure,” Tony replied. “There's a Starbucks down the street, I could really go for a cappuccino.”

“You have a cappuccino machine in your kitchen,” she replied as she climbed from the sofa and walked across the room, her hips swaying tantalisingly. “Perhaps I could get you one from there.”

“I really…” Tony was lost for words as the woman draped her arms over his shoulders, and began to lean in for a kiss. _Ah, screw it_ he though, and closed his eyes. He moved forward, but no kiss came, and instead he heard a low chuckle.

“What the hell!” Tony exclaimed when he opened his eyes, and saw Loki stood in front of him, his arms draped across Tony's shoulders. “Oh my god, that was _you?_ I slept with you?”

“Perhaps in your dreams, Stark,” Loki said, as Tony pushed him roughly away. “As if I would touch a bawdy fustilarian like you.”

Tony cocked his head towards the ceiling. “Jarvis, look that word up.”

“Sir, Webster's dictionary defines it as a low fellow; a stinkard, and a scoundrel,” Jarvis replied. “Although I did find one definition that listed it as a ‘fat frowsy slut’”

“Hey!” Tony said, as Loki started to smirk. “That's just mean!”

“Well, perhaps you should keep your bed mates to yourself, rather than allowing them to sit on surfaces that I use to prepare my breakfast,” Loki snapped, “And if your sexual exploits keep me awake one more night, then perhaps the next woman you sleep with _will_ be me.”

Tony's mouth dropped open, as Loki sat, lounging on one of the brown leather sofas, reclining as if he owned the place. He toyed with his long black hair, seductively twisting it into curls around his finger.

“You bastard," Tony said. "I'm never going to be able to sleep with anyone again without thinking it's you.”

“Well, that was the point,” Loki grinned.

“OK, that's enough, you guys,” Steve said, raising his hands. “We've got an appointment in an hour and I want everyone on their best behaviour.”

“Yes, _dad_ ,” Tony replied.

 

 

“He really is a natural with kids isn't he?” Steve asked, as he watched Loki telling a story to class of school children who were sat cross-legged in front of him, hanging onto his every word.

“Who would have thought it?” Tony asked quietly. “From murderous super villain to children's storyteller in just two years.”

“And then the mighty dragon rose from the fire!” Loki said, as he conjured the image before them of himself and Thor in their younger days. “We thought we were doomed, the dragon was so powerful that we almost gave up hope that we could ever defeat it.”

Tony's phone began to ring. “I better get this.”

“Another one of your conquests?” Steve asked, casting Stark a weary look.

“Fury, actually, so unless he can shape shift too, I doubt it.”

As Tony moved away Thor laughed loudly. “I remember this quest well. The end of this tale is magnificent, and a good lesson for all youngsters.”

“Loki's a good story teller,” Natasha said.

“Aye, my brother could mesmerise the whole court with his tales of our exploits.”

“There we were,” Loki continued. “Trapped inside the cave, we hadn't eaten or slept for days, and we had no weapons. It all seems hopeless, yes?”

The children eagerly nodded, as in the vision that hung in the air, the dragon approached.

“Do you think we gave up hope?”

“No,” the children chorused.

“That's right! We bravely fought back with our bare hands, and as the dragon wheeled its enormous head round, it flung me into the side of the cave and broke both my legs so badly the bones were visible through my flesh!” Loki said, conjuring every detail in the air. “Upon seeing this Thor became so angry he leapt on the giant beasts neck and RIPPED its head off with his bare hands!”

The children sat silently, for a moment, staring at the magical vision of the headless, bleeding dragon, and the bones that stuck through Loki's legs, and some began to whimper.

“And the moral of the story is be good and stay in school,” Steve swiftly added as a few children began to cry. He motioned at Loki, “You, up, now.”

“What have I done?” Loki asked, as Steve reached down, and put his hands under Loki's armpits and started to drag him to his feet. “Stop manhandling me, ruffian!”

Tony walked back over to the group quickly. “Sorry to interrupt your little fumble session, but we've got a situation.”

“What this time?” Natasha asked.

“Doom bots again,” Tony replied.

“Great,” she replied, sarcastically.

 

  
“Did you ever work with Doom?” Tony asked, as he stood in the playground of the school and popped the catch of his armour suitcase with his foot, as all the children gathered at the windows to watch. “Like, back when you were evil?”

“When I was evil, as you say, I was here for approximately 3 of your days, Stark. When was I supposed to make alliances during that time?” Loki asked, as glowing light surrounded him, and his casual Asgardian clothes melted into his horned helmet, and caped armour. “When I was attempting to bring down the Hellicarrier, when I was throwing you through a window, or when I was riding through the streets on a Chitauri flying machine?”

Tony shrugged as he bent down, put his hands in the case, and the armour began to smooth over his body. “I was just asking.”

“I was also going to tell you off for calling me evil, but after hearing myself say that list I think it might be slightly inappropriate,” Loki replied uncomfortably.

“Only slightly. All cured now though?” Tony asked. “It's not like I ever have to worry you are suddenly gonna turn on us and flip again.”

“You can rest assured Stark that if I wanted you dead I would have murdered you all in your beds long ago, and you would have been my first victim,” Loki replied, then asked, “Shall I take you to the scene of the battle?”

“Nah,” Tony said, as his faceplate slammed down. “Kinda wanna give the kids something to talk about.”

Iron Man blasted up into the skies, and even through the glass of the windows Loki could hear the children collectively go _Oooohhh!_

“Show off!” Loki shouted after him, and then he teleported away.

 

The battle was ferocious, it seemed the Doom bots had been upgraded since their last attack upon the city, and each one was unleashing powerful bolts of electricity across the street, towards the Avengers.

Iron Man strafed the bots from above with missiles and repulsor blasts, while Thor charged between them, striking them with Mjolnir, and pulverising them till they were nothing but sparking piles of metal. Hulk jumped across the face of buildings, occasionally leaping into the air to take out any bots that tried to use their power of flight, while Loki, Steve, Clint, and Natasha fought back to back, forming a tight square, as they worked their way down the street.

“Bot at 3 o'clock,” Clint said, as he drew back his bow and fired an explosive arrow.

“I’m on it,” Steve replied, taking it out with one throw of his shield.

“Up high!” Clint shouted, as a bot threw itself down from the roof of a convenience store.

“This one's mine,” Loki said as the bot strode purposefully towards him, reaching out with its hand, and sending out a arc of electricity. Loki used a deflection spell to neutralise the bolt, creating a shower of sparks around himself, then he blasted the bot with a pulse of magic and knocked it to the floor. He raised his foot and smashed down into the bots face, coughing as a wave of acrid green smoke poured from its broken head.

“Not many left,” Natasha said, as Loki coughed again. “You OK?”

“Just some fumes,” Loki replied, waving his hand in front of his face. “I'm fine.”

 

  
The battlefield was strewn with destroyed Doom bots, their severed limbs lay in the street, and Loki stood in the middle, feeling a slight wheeze in his chest as he breathed heavily. He ran his hand across his armour briefly, feeling constricted and slightly too hot, but then decided it was the fumes from the robot he had destroyed earlier effecting his breathing, nothing more.

“Anything?” Steve asked, as Iron Man hovered overhead, scanning the street for signs of movement or power.

“Nothing from up here, just a bunch of dead wreckage,” Tony said, then he landed next to Steve.

“We good to go?”

“Yup, leave Shield to the janitorial duties, and I will see you guys on Monday,” Tony replied.

“You're not coming back?”

“Seems to me like I've been neglecting most of the property portfolio that I have lovingly built up through the years, so I’m off to Malibu for the weekend for a little well deserved R & R.”

“Just make sure you don't do anything embarrassing this time, Tony.”

“Embarrassing? When have I ever done anything embarrassing?”

“Well, there was that thing at the Olympics…”

“That wasn't my fault.”

“So three medallists fighting on a podium screaming _‘Tony is mine’_ doesn't strike you as _really_ bad P.R. for us?”

“I _swear_ I had no idea the silver medallist was married.”

“Seriously, behave,” Steve said with a smile. “And don't get too drunk. You never know when we might need you.”

“I’m only a mach 8 flight away so ya know, call me, or don't,” Tony said. “Preferably don't.”

Steve shook his head as Iron Man blasted into the sky, and turned to walk back to the Quinjet and join the others.

“We fought well today, my friends,” Thor said, as he began to spin Mjolnir. “I shall see you back at the tower where we shall have a grand feast and tell tales of our glorious accomplishments.”

Loki watched as Thor took off and quickly vanished out of sight, and stood dejectedly as a wave of tiredness washed through him. He wanted to be home and in his bed, falling into the clean starched sheets, but teleporting back there was an unappealing prospect.

“You look exhausted,” Clint said, as he opened the back hatch of the Quinjet. “Wanna hitch a lift back with us?”

“I would like that very much,” Loki replied, as he tried to hide the slight tremor in his hands.

Loki climbed into the jet, as Clint moved into the cockpit to get the engines started. He sat on one of the seats, then removed his helmet, and placed it next to him, before he turned back to strap himself into the complicated harness. His hair felt damp when it was exposed to the cool air, and a slight shiver ran through his body, prickling the hairs along the back of his clammy neck.

“Are you OK?” Natasha asked, as she entered the jet. “You look kinda paler than your usual freaky level of paleness.”

“I feel a little warm,” Loki replied, pulling at his collar.

Natasha leaned closer, and then held the back of her hand to his forehead. “Wow, you're burning up.”

“I do not feel quite myself.”

“Maybe you're coming down with something?” she asked. “Can that even happen? Do you get sick?”

“I was often ill as a child, but it has been some time since I was last unwell. I thought I had grown out of it.”

“Maybe it's just a bug.”

“I do not believe Midgardian diseases can infect me,” Loki replied. “Perhaps it is just tiredness.”

“Yeah, we've had a lot of action lately. Something's definitely up.”

“I’m sure I'll be better by the time we get home,” Loki said, as he smiled weakly, and Natasha climbed into the cockpit and sat down, while they waited for the Hulk to transform, and Steve to finish giving instructions to the Shield operatives who had just arrived.

 

  
As they took the lift down from the Quinjet hanger to the habitation levels, Steve said, “I think I'm gonna order pizza. You guys want pizza?”

“Large pepperoni feast for me,” Clint replied.

“I could really go for a barbecue chicken pizza,” Natasha said.

“Bruce?” Steve asked.

“I'm not in a pizza mood. I'll have the Mediterranean veggie sandwich though.”

“I'll gonna get Thor his usual order.”

“Six meat feasts, two stuffed cheesy breads, one portion of wings, and a large coke,” Clint and Natasha said together.

“Seriously, I don't know where that guy puts it,” Bruce laughed.

“You want me to order you something?” Steve asked. “Loki?”

Loki, lost in thought, jumped at the sound of his name being called. “What?”

“You want pizza?”

“No, thank you,” Loki replied. “I think I will shower and sleep.”

“You sure? I thought you always ate a mountain of food after a good scrap?”

“I am feeling very tired tonight. It can wait till morning.”

“OK,” Steve replied, “but you're missing out.”

As the lift doors opened at the living area, Loki left swiftly, feeling his knees almost buckle as he turned into the corridor, and he ran a hand along the wall as he made his way down to his quarters.

Once inside, he closed the door and placed his back to it, then slid down, landing in a shivering heap on the floor. He sat for some time, gripped by the fear there was something wrong with him, that the illnesses that plagued him as a child were returning, and once again he would be classed as weak, sickly, unhealthy, and not like the other Asgardians who never seemed to be afflicted by anything other than training injuries and war wounds.

Unable to find the will to stand again, he slowly stripped his armour, leaving it in an untidy heap by the door, and once he was down to just his soft undergarments, Loki began to crawl across the floor, dragging himself towards his bed on increasingly stiff limbs. As he finally heaved himself onto the soft mattress, and let his head flop onto the pillow, he had never been more relieved, and was asleep in seconds.

 

Loki felt better when he woke up the next day with his legs knotted into the slightly damp bed sheets. His temperature had fallen to normal levels, the stiffness in his arms and legs had subsided, and the only pain was the growling of his stomach, which reminded his that he had not eaten the night before.

He showered quickly, washing off the dried sweat that had accumulated on his skin, and untangling his knotted hair. He dressed quickly in casual Asgardian attire, and then headed down to the kitchen, where he found a note on the table.

 _“Brother,”_ the note started, _“I have gone on a quest with Steve to find a new coffee pot to replace the one you smashed on my head last week. I apologise once again for my actions. I should not have told Stark the story of the goat's beard. Thor.”_

Underneath, in much neater script was another message.

_“Loki, look in the refrigerator. Left something in there for you. – Steve.”_

Loki opened the door and found two pizza boxes, and as his stomach growled again he silently thanked Steve for ignoring his rejection the previous evening.

He turned the oven on, placed one pizza in to warm up, and ate the other cold, straight from the box, as he waited.

“You look better today,” Natasha said, as she walked into the kitchen.

“I’m much improved, thank you,” Loki replied.

“Ooooh is that the Hawaiian Steve wouldn't let us touch last night? Mind if I grab a slice?”

“Please, take some,” Loki replied, as Natasha grabbed a napkin, then leaned over and took a slice of the cold pizza from the box.

“You got any plans for today?” she asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Beyond eating this pizza, nothing, no.”

“Me and Clint were gonna get some target practise in. You wanna come down and shoot some shit?”

“I would like that very much.”

“Cool, see you in the training room in about an hour?” Natasha asked as she headed for the door.

“I'll be there.”

 

  
As usual, target practise did not simply just mean target practise, and actually meant ‘Let's throw increasingly tiny things into the air and see if Clint can still hit them.’

They started off with fruit, throwing apples and bananas, laughing as Clint nailed each one perfectly with an arrow. After that they moved on to limes and olives that they had taken from Stark's bar, laughing as Clint managed to hit each one and pin it to the wall at the back of the training room.

“Let's see how you cope with a moving target,” Loki said with a wink, as he threw a lemon into the air, and then raised his hand, causing it to weave about the room.

A wave of pain hit Loki, causing him to double up, and he couldn't help the cry of agony that escaped him, as the lemon tumbled to the floor.

“Hey, what's wrong?” Natasha asked, putting her hand on his back.

“I don't know,” Loki replied, his eyes wide as he looked up at her.

“Are you hurt?” Clint asked.

“I have no injuries, yet I feel pain,” Loki said, then he cried out again and fell to his knees.

“Jarvis, can you get a medical team down here right now?” Natasha ordered.

“I don't need to see a healer,” Loki said. “I'll be fine.”

“Mister Odinson, your heart rate is extremely elevated compared to your usual baseline scans, and you are clearly in some pain. Medical has been alerted to your condition and are on their way,” Jarvis replied coolly.

Loki cried out again as another wave of pain, washed through his body, and the last thing he felt before he fell into unconsciousness, was Clint and Natasha slowly lowering him to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the updated tags. I left something off that really needed a warning.
> 
>  **NOTE:** If you haven't read the other parts of this series the only information you need to know to understand this fic is that Loki got Coulson out of Valhalla by exchanging years from his own lifespan for the ones he took, and that Loki taught Tony some rudimentary magic, but he wasn't particularly good at it.

  
“How's he doing?” Clint asked, as Bruce emerged from the medical bay.

“Bit better. Still in pain, but not as much,” he replied, as he closed the door behind him. “He's resting now.”

“Any idea what happened?”

“His blood work shows he has a massive viral infection,” Bruce sighed. “Dr Morgan is leading the team and he's one of the finest virologists in the country. They're working on identifying it now, but I need blood samples from everyone Loki has been in contact with recently.”

“They think we might have it too?” Natasha asked.

“As of right now, the tower is in lock down. Tony's been ordered to stay where he is till we get a blood sample. We need to see if this thing can spread to the human population.”

“So we could be dealing with an epidemic here?” Clint asked.

“If it can cross the species barrier, yes.”

“Species?”

“Loki isn't human. He isn't even Asgardian,” Bruce said. “It's possible the infection might not even be able to spread to any of us. So, you wanna come through and get that blood taken?”

“Is it safe?” Clint asked.

“He's in isolation till we find out what it is,” Bruce said, as he went back inside the medical lab, and held the door open for the others to follow him.

As Natasha entered the lab she looked at Loki through the glass window of the isolation room. His face was mostly hidden by an oxygen mask, but the stark white of the walls, sheets and gown Loki had been dressed in, all served to heighten just how pale he was. "I thought you said he was doing better?"

“He's in a lot less pain than he was, and his temperature has come down.”

“He looks like total shit,” Clint said bluntly.

A nurse entered the room, carrying a tray which she placed on the table, and she motioned for Clint to sit.  
  
“They're giving him antiviral medication," Bruce said. "We can't even be sure if they will work given his different physiology.”

“How is he even sick?” Natasha asked, still stood by the window. “I thought he could heal himself?”

“He said it isn't working. Could be exhaustion, or he hasn't eaten enough. They're giving him som-”

“Loki!” a voice bellowed, cutting Bruce off mid sentence, as Thor slammed open the medical lab door. “Steve received a message that my brother is unwell. Where is he?”

Bruce moved across the room, and directed Thor to the window of the adjoining room. “He's here. We're doing our best to help him.”

“Is he injured?”

“All we know right now is that he has an infection that's causing him a great deal of pain.”

“Loki has not been ill since he was a child. This is impossible.”

“We're giving him medication, and we have one of the best medical teams in the whole world trying to find out what the infection is so they can create an effective treatment.”

“I wish to see him.”

“Until we know exactly what's going on, Loki needs to stay in isolation.”

“Move,” Thor said, threateningly.

“I know you're worried,” Bruce said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture, “but we have no idea what we're dealing with. You could get sick too. We all could.”

“Move, or I will break the window.”

Bruce sighed. “OK, but give me a chance to get you a gown and mask, just something to limit- THOR, NO!”

Thor headed towards the glass, Mjolnir raised, preparing to strike. “Allow me entry, NOW. I will not allow my brother to suffer alone while you dally with masks.”

“You understand the risk you're taking?”

“I do.”

Bruce turned to the nurse, who was still stood by Clint, and said, “Let him in.”

The nurse moved over to the control panel, pressing buttons until the lock on the first door slid open, allowing Thor to make his way through the containment system. He stood by the bed for a moment, and then pointed to the tubes, machines, and mask. “What is this?”

“That's an oxygen mask to help him breathe, and machines so we can monitor his condition.”

“And this?”

“That's an I.V line so we can keep him hydrated, and give him medication.”

“On Asgard we have no need of such of such barbaric devices,” Thor said, as he gently ran his hand across Loki's hair and down the side of his face. “I will take him home. The healers will be able to help him.”

“First we need to check that he isn't contagious. If he is, and you take him home, everyone there will get sick. You don't want that to happen, do you?”

“No,” Thor replied. “Will it take long for your tests?”

“Just a few days, I promise you,” Bruce replied.

“Thank you, Banner.”

Loki's eyelids began to flutter, as Thor continued to gently stroke the side of his face, avoiding the oxygen mask, and finally opened. He looked blearily around the room for a second, and then finally focussed on his brother.

“You had me worried,” Thor said, as he smiled gently.

“Wh-what happened?” Loki stammered.

“You are unwell, but fear not. In a few days I shall take you back to Asgard, and the healers will help you.”

“Can't go now?”

“Banner needs to perform some tests upon you to determine if you can transmit this sickness to others. Rest, Loki, we will leave soon.”

"You will stay with me?"

"Of course, brother," Thor said as he dragged a chair to the side of the bed, and curled his fingers round Loki's hand. "I actually do not believe Banner would allow me to leave now anyway, in case I transmit this sickness to others."

"Thor, you dullard, you should not have come in here," Loki mumbled, his eyes beginning to close again, as exhaustion swept over him, and he gently squeezed Thor's hand, "but thank you."

 

 

“So you don't feel sick or anything?” Bruce asked, as he talked to Tony over a video feed, which clearly showed that he was lounging by a poolside with his shirt off.

“Fine and dandy and relaxing with a cocktail or four,” Tony replied. “You should come out here some time. We'll go out in the desert, let the green guy run wild till he's all tuckered out.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass,” Bruce replied. “Someone's coming to take your bloods soon.”

“Guys in blue, sound kinda like Darth Vader? They've already been,” Tony said dismissively, as he held up his arm a revealed the small piece of gauze, held on by tape, inside his elbow. "Look at that, it's gonna totally ruin my tan."

“That was fast. Looks like Shield are taking this seriously.”

“So there's a possibility we all might have it?”

“Loki's already symptomatic, and he hasn't been anywhere on his own for at least a couple of weeks. Everyone here tested negative for the infection, and Shield found a single bot with what looked like a aerosol delivery system in the wreckage, which apparently went straight for Loki, so it looks like he was the target, and it only infects Jotuns.”

“That's good. _‘Avengers infect school kids with mystery disease’_ wouldn't be the best headline.”

A lab technician appeared at Bruce's side, and held out a clipboard. “Dr Banner, Dr Morgan said to tell you that Mr Stark's blood work came back normal. No traces of infection.”

“That's great news, thanks,” Bruce said, taking the clipboard, and going over the paperwork “You hear that, Tony?”

“Certainly did. So I'm in the clear?”

“Yup, you can come back any time you like.”

“How's Loki doing? Like really doing? None of this _‘Oh he's fine’_ rubbish.”

Bruce grimaced, and said, “He's in a lot of pain, but if Thor's bloods are still clear tomorrow, Shield will probably clear him to use the Tesseract to take Loki back to Asgard and see if their healers can help.”

“I'm coming back in the morning, so I'll see him before he goes.”

“I thought you were coming back on Monday?”

“Pointless staying here and trying to relax now.”

“I'll see you tomorrow then,” Bruce replied.

“See ya!”

Bruce closed the program, and gathered up the paperwork, then made his way through the double door system of the isolation ward.

“Banner,” Thor said as he looked up. “You are not wearing a mask.”

“Everyone's blood work came back completely normal. It looks like it only infects Jotuns.”

“So I can take my brother back to Asgard?”

“We'll do one more round of bloods tomorrow and if they all come back clear, then we'll grab the tesseract, get you in the jet and go to the bifrost site.”

“That is excellent news, my friend,” Thor smiled, as he brushed his hand over Loki's face.

 

 

“You're back early,” Clint said, when Tony walked into the kitchen the next morning and poured himself a coffee.

“Couldn't sleep, so I thought I might as well make my way back here and say goodbye to my favourite ex villain before he goes back home. What time are you setting off?”

“Couple of hours. Shield want one more round of blood tests before they'll release him.”

“Vampires, the lot of them. Better get down there then.”

 

“Holy shit!” Tony shouted, as he walked into the room and saw Coulson sat sipping a cup of coffee, as he stood next to Bruce. “You could have warned me you were coming down today.”  
  
“And a good morning to you, too,” Coulson replied.  
  
“Sorry, sorry… It's just if I haven't seen you for a week or two I kinda forget that you aren't dead.”  
  
“Sit, and roll your sleeve up,” Bruce said, as he prepared the kit.  
  
Tony sat, took his jacket off, and placed his arm on table, as Bruce wrapped a strip of elastic round his arm and began to tap inside his elbow.  "What are you doing here anyway? Apart from almost making me drop my coffee?"  
  
"Fury wanted someone down here to check the situation and report back."  
  
"Doesn't trust us, huh?"  
  
"About as far as he could throw you all."  
  
"That's nice to know," Tony said, turning his head to look through the isolation room glass as Bruce started to draw the blood. "How's Loki doing?"  
  
"Not great, but he's stable."  
  
“Are the Asgardian healers going to be able to help him, because really, he looks on the verge of death?”

“He's been in constant pain pretty much since you left, but Thor said they can.”

“Can I see him, or is not safe?”

“Sure, I was in there yesterday, and my blood work is fine today,” Bruce said, as he taped gauze over the small puncture. “OK, you're done.”

Tony stood up, and walked over to the door of the isolation ward. He entered quietly, and whispered, “Hey.”

“Good morning, Stark,” Thor replied. “I did not expect you back so soon.”

“I wanted to come back before you left,” he whispered again.

“There is no need to be so quiet, Stark. I'm not asleep,” Loki said, as he cracked an eyelid open to give him an evil glare, and failed miserably.

“Sorry, I thought you were resting.”

“It's rather difficult to rest when you feel as if your whole body is on fire.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Yes. _That_ bad.”

“Which explains why you look like a character from a Tim Burton film.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Stark.”

“Going back to Asgard in a bit I hear. They'll have you better in no time,” Tony said as he reached over and tentatively patted Loki's hand.

“I do hope so, this is becoming quite tiresome. I've spent the last 24 hours with Thor stroking my hair as if I were a cat,” Loki said, casting his eyes towards Thor.

“Sorry,” Thor replied, and snatched his hand away.

 

 

“Right,” Bruce said, as he entered the isolation room with Coulson in tow. “Everyone's tests were fine, Phil has been on the phone, and Shield are sending over the Tesseract.”

“We can leave now?” Loki asked.

“Clint’s up top, prepping the Quinjet already.”

“Excellent,” Loki replied, as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Whoa, you can't walk there,” Bruce said, as Loki hauled himself up onto his feet and almost collapsed into Thor's arms.

“I can walk,” Loki replied weakly. “Just give me a minute for the dizziness to pass.”

“Ta-da!” Tony shouted, as he appeared the other side of the glass window, pushing a wheelchair. “Your chariot awaits.”

“What is that contraption?” Loki asked, allowing Thor to keep him upright.

“It's a wheelchair.”

“You expect me to sit in that _thing_ , and allow someone to push me along like a child? No. I refuse. I will walk.”

“You can't walk,” Bruce protested.

“I can, and I will.”

“I could carry you,” Thor announced.

Loki stared at Thor with a look of horror on his face, and said, “I'll sit in the chair.”

 

 

After the Quinjet was safely on its way to the bifrost site, Bruce decided to make lunch, and asked Tony if he wanted to help, but he announced that he had ridiculously important work to get on with down in his lab.

As Tony tinkered with his suit, not really doing anything, just simply trying to avoid peeling potatoes and chopping vegetables, he decided he was bored. He hadn't used the magic Loki had taught him for a while, not since the time he'd almost gotten himself killed by teleporting out of his suit during a battle, and it seemed like a great time to use it again, for slightly nefarious and fun purposes.

“Boo!” Tony shouted, as he teleported into the kitchen, right next to Bruce, and then almost went down on one knee as a sharp wave of pain coursed through his body.

“Tony!” Bruce said, as he grabbed his shoulders to keep him upright. “What just happened?”

“I don't know, but that really, REALLY hurt,” Tony gasped. 

Bruce pondered for a moment. “Do me a favour, create a little fire. Just... don't burn down the kitchen or anything.”

“Easily done,” Tony said, as he waved his hand, created a small spark of cool flames, and then snatched his hand away as if burnt. “Oh my god, ow, OW... Bruce, what the hell is going on?”

“We need to get down to the lab, right now.”

 

 

“You've got the virus,” Bruce said, as he flipped through the paperwork the lab tech handed him. “You've got it, but I haven't.”

“What?” Tony snapped. “I thought you said he wasn't contagious? You let me walk in that room and get infected with god knows what!”

“What's the one thing you and Loki have in common?”

“Magic?” Tony asked. “You think it's designed to infect magic users?”

“It makes sense. Your suit is sealed, you didn't go anywhere near the bot that was carrying the infection, which is why your blood work was fine until you actually came into contact with Loki... Oh my god!” Bruce said, as he jumped out of his seat. “We need to stop Thor _right_ now!”

“What?”

“He's taking Loki to Asgard to see the healers, right?" Bruce said, and Tony nodded. "Their work is based on magic. They're _all_ magic users. Tony, it's going to wipe them out if they take Loki back.”

“So not only does it cripple Loki's magic, but it infects all the magic users in Asgard too."  
  
"Doesn't Odin use magic?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Doom made him into a biological weapon," Tony exclaimed. "If Odin gets infected there'll be no one to defend Asgard.”  
  
 “We need to stop that jet now.”

 

 

“How are you feeling?” Bruce asked, as he and Tony helped Loki out of his seat in the back of the Quinjet and into the wheelchair.

“Tired,” Loki replied, as he ran a shaking hand through his hair. “And slightly disappointed.”  
  
"Thor will be back with the cure before you know it." Bruce said, reassuringly. “Still in pain?”

“Some, yes.”

“So how come he's in pain all the time, and I'm not?” Tony asked.

“Your magical abilities are different to mine,” Loki replied, as Bruce pushed him down the ramp, and towards the elevator. “You actually have to think to do it, I do not. It's a natural instinct, not something I can just switch off.”

“So it just runs on it's own?”

“When I am in pain, my body's natural process is to try and heal the cause of the pain, in much the same way as your body would try to heal an injury, except mine is attempting it with magic, which is causing more pain.”

“You really need to eat something,” Bruce said, as they moved into the elevator and pressed the button for the medical floor. “Shall I get you some soup, something nice and light?”

“I really don't think I could face it right now,” Loki replied, holding his hand over his stomach. “Perhaps after Thor returns.”

“Hopefully he won't be long,” Tony said, as the elevator pinged, and the doors swept open. “Then we can both get fixed.”

“Tony, go get some coffee or something,” Bruce said. “Let Loki get some rest.”

“What? I'm sick too, why are you turfing me out and he gets a comfy bed?”

“Just don't do any magic and you will be fine,” Loki said wearily.

“That is so unfair,” Tony grumbled, as Bruce pressed the button for the habitation levels, then pushed the wheelchair out before the doors slid closed.

 

 

Thor landed at the bifrost site and safely tucked the tesseract device into the bag that was slung over his shoulder. The preparation of the healing potion had taken longer than he had hoped, with Eir deciding she would distil it herself in order to ensure that it would be at it's maximum potency.  
  
"Tell Prince Loki I hope he heals quickly," she had said as she forced the small vial into Thor's waiting hands, and as he stood in the desert, he began to spin Mjolnir furiously, hoping that his brother's condition had not deteriorated while he had been away. He aimed the hammer, and let it pull him into the skies.  
  
Thor landed on the roof of Stark Tower, quickly made his way inside, and headed down to the medical floor where he was greeted by Bruce.  
  
"You got it?" he asked.  
  
"Aye," Thor said as he pulled the small vial from his bag and moved towards the bed where Loki was laid.

“Brother,” Thor whispered. “Wake up. I have brought medicine for you.”

“I'm not asleep,” Loki said, as he forced his tired eyes open. “And if you were trying to wake me why were you whispering anyway?”

“Oh… yes. Sorry,” Thor replied. “I have brought the potion, created by Eir herself.”

“Do I need to get Morgan to run some tests on it first?” Bruce asked.

“Loki has had this potion many times before, it has always cured his ailments.”  
  
Thor uncorked the vial, gently placed his hand behind Loki's head, lifting him gently so he would not choke, and then held the container to his lips. "Drink." 

Loki cast a sideways glance at Thor, then opened his mouth and swallowed as the Thor poured the blue liquid in, a small amount at a time.

“Rest now, brother,” he said, as he lowered Loki's head back to the pillow, and gently patted his chest through the stiff white sheets.

Loki smiled, his cheeks still pink from the slight fever that was still burning inside him, and then he looked around the room. His brow creased, and he grabbed Thor's hand tightly.

“What is it?” Thor asked.  
  
"Something is wrong," Loki gasped, as he shifted uncomfortably, and his hand grasped the sheet tightly.  
  
"Describe what you're feeling," Bruce said, as he quickly moved to the side of the bed.

“Hurts,” Loki choked out, as his legs began kick under the covers.

“More than before?” Bruce asked.   
  
"Lot more," Loki whimpered.  
  
“Do you think you can throw up?” Bruce asked, then he turned to one of the medical technicians and said, "Get some activated charcoal, quickly."

Loki's hands began to shake, he threw back his head and screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never studied medicine, and google can only tell you so much, so I apologise if I have any medical related things completely wrong!
> 
> Next chapter will probably be posted tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

  
“Jarvis, get Steve down here _now_ ,” Bruce shouted, struggling to hold Loki down on the bed as he screamed and thrashed his arms, smashing one down onto the small side table by the bed, splitting the wood.

“What should I do?” Thor asked desperately.

“Help me hold him,” Bruce said. “He's gonna hurt himself if he keeps this up. Grab his arm.”

Thor clutched at Loki's wrist, holding it tightly, but Loki squirmed out of his grip with a strength that Thor didn't know he possessed.

“Are you sure that was a healing potion and not poison?” Bruce asked.

“Eir would never do such a thing, she is a loyal and trusted servant who has treated Loki and myself since we were children,” Thor replied, as he caught hold of Loki's wrist.

Loki screamed again, his body going rigid, his back arching painfully off the bed, and as his jaw clamped down, blood started to run from the corner of his mouth.

“Shit!” Bruce exclaimed.

“What happened?” Steve asked as he entered the room.

“Something's gone wrong. I need you to hold him,” Bruce said, as he ran across to a cabinet, and pulled out some wadding. He moved back over to the bed, and tried to steady Loki's head as he held it to the side of his mouth. “Loki, I know it hurts, but you have to open your mouth.”

“Why is he bleeding?” Thor asked.

“He's biting his tongue,” Bruce said, as he tried to dig his fingers into the side of Loki's face to get him to release it.

Loki opened his mouth and let out a howling scream, ripping his hands from Steve and Thor's grasp. He lifted them to the sides of his head, ripping out a chunk of hair with one hand, and carving brutal gouges through his scalp with the fingernails of his other.

“We're going to have to restrain him before he hurts himself even more,” Bruce said, as he moved out of the room, returning quickly, carrying leather restraints, which he swiftly attached to the bed as Steve grabbed Loki's arm and desperately tried to lower it.

“Hold him! Hold him!” Bruce shouted, as he tried strap the restraint around Loki's wrist.

Loki screamed again, throwing his arm out, which caught Bruce in the chest, sending him flying across the room, and crashing into a cabinet, which toppled over and landed on his back, spilling it's contents onto the floor.

“Bruce!” Steve called out. “Are you OK?”

Bruce stayed crouched on the ground where he had fallen, rocking backwards and forwards on his hands and knees.

“Bruce?” Steve asked again, and then he heard the sound of tearing fibres, clothes splitting down their seams, as Bruce's muscles began to grow as the transformation took over. “Jarvis! Sound the alarm! Get everyone out of here!”

As a siren began to sound Bruce staggered to his feet, his skin flushing green, his muscles bulged through his torn shirt, and he let out a loud roar.

“Noooo!” Loki wailed in a moment of lucidity as the Hulk, now fully transformed, turned and glared at him.

“Banner, you must calm down,” Thor shouted, as the Hulk advanced towards the bed, and Loki screamed once more, pulling at his hair again.

Steve moved, standing between the Hulk and the bed, and said, “I can't let you hurt him, Bruce. I know you'd never forgive yourself.”

Hulk snorted, lifted his hand and pushed Steve out of the way, sending him sprawling across the floor, but without any of his usual raw power behind the blow.

“Banner, please,” Thor pleaded.

Hulk stood before the bed, watching as Loki thrashed, kicking his legs out and wrapping them in the sheet as he moved endlessly, then brought his hand up to his face again, scoring the skin from his temples with his fingernails as he cried out.

Steve climbed to his feet, and grabbed Hulk's arm. “Bruce, please, you have to stop.”

Hulk snorted angrily, and nudged Steve in the chest with his elbow, forcing him to stagger back a few paces, then calmly he raised his hands, placing one firmly on Loki's chest, pinning him to the bed, then encircled Loki's wrist and pulling it away from his bleeding scalp with his other hand.

“Help,” Hulk grunted, as he pulled Loki's hand towards the restraint that was now hanging loosely from the side of the bed. Steve moved forward quickly, wrapping the leather around Loki's thin wrist and securing it tightly.

“Other,” Hulk said, as he grasped Loki's remaining free hand and lowered it gently towards the restraint, which Thor quickly strapped into place.

“Calm now,” Hulk said quietly, as he released his hand from Loki's heaving chest, raised it gently to his head, and began to softly run his giant hand over the raven black hair.

Steve sighed in relief as Hulk's breathing started to even out, becoming slower as his body started to shrink down, until Bruce stood by the side of the bed, tenderly carding his fingers through Loki's hair.

There was a crash as Iron Man smashed the medical room door off its hinges, his repulsors ready to fire. Natasha and Clint ran in behind him, and took up defensive positions.

Steve raised his hands. “Whoa, whoa! Everything's fine now.”

“What the hell was the alarm for?” Clint asked.

“I had a little Hulk issue,” Bruce said, as he stood shirtless, continuing to stroke Loki's hair, who was now whimpering softly.

“Did the potion work?” Natasha asked.

“No,” Bruce replied. “I think we've made things a whole lot worse.”

 

 

Loki had started to thrash against his restraints not long after the Avengers had burst into the medical lab and his moaning wails had quickly cleared the room. Natasha and Clint had left the building, and Tony had taken refuge in his lab, turning the music up as loud as his ears could stand to try and wipe the sound of Loki's cries out of his memory.

“Jarvis, why the hell have you turned that down?” Tony shouted as the volume on his AC/DC song lowered.

“Dr Banner has requested your presence on the medical floor, sir.”

“Tell him I'm busy,” Tony said, and then the screen in front of him began to flicker and went dead. “Oh hey, no fair!”

“I'm sorry, sir, but we appear to be having power issues on this floor,” Jarvis said. “If you care to go to the medical floor, where the power is perfectly stable, perhaps you can complete your work there.”

“Jarvis, stop taking lessons in lying from Loki.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, _Stark_.”

“Oooo sassy,” Tony replied, as he put his tools back on the bench and headed towards the stairs.

 

Tony had expected screams to be echoing down the corridors, but as he entered the medical level everything was quiet.

“Hey,” Bruce said, as he looked up from his paperwork.

Tony nodded, and looked over at the bed where Loki was laid, shivering gently. “How's he doing?”

“No better,” Bruce sighed. “His viral load isn't coming down so the medication we've been giving him is doing nothing, and earth pain killers appear to have no effect on him.”

“He must be in less pain though, right?” Tony asked. “He's a lot quieter.”

“I think he's just so overwhelmed by the pain he can't even react any more.”  
  
Tony watched Loki for a second, noting the way his fingers twitched, and his teeth chattered slightly, even though his eyes were tightly screwed shut. He may not be screaming, but Tony could see the agony etched onto his face. He turned away quickly, and asked, "I thought that potion was supposed to help him, not do something like this."  
  
"During the time I spent with the healers on Asgard I saw them use potions on people who didn't have any magical abilities, and they still worked. The potion shouldn't have done anything to his magic, but I guess it stimulated it somehow..." Bruce said, then he sighed. "This is my fault. I over estimated how much I actually knew about the work the Asgardian healers do, and I should have insisted we test him with a small amount first. I mean Thor told me he'd had it many times before, so maybe the way it worked mutated or-"  
  
"Bruce," Tony interrupted. "You couldn't have known this would happen. Don't be so hard on yourself."  
  
"It's easy to say that when you haven't been down here listening to to the person you were supposed to be helping scream for 6 hours."

Tony winced. “What did you need me for?”

“We need to run some tests,” Bruce answered. “You're infected too, so if we can see how it affects you we might be able to help Loki.”

“Where do you want me?”

“If it's OK, the doctors want to put you the PET scanner and have you do a few spells. I know it'll hurt, but seeing the mechanism of the disease would be invaluable.”

“Where are we doing it? Nearest hospital?”

“We have a PET scanner here.”

“I own a PET scanner?” Tony asked.

“Have you never looked round your own medical research division?” Bruce asked, slightly nonplussed.

“I try to avoid doctors at all costs,” Tony replied. “They usually tell me to ease up on the drinking, and the getting shot at with missiles, so no.”

“You told me you announced at some gala dinner a while back that you were going to find a cure for cancer.”

“I did?” Tony asked. “Well, aren't I a nice guy when I'm drunk?”

 

 

“OK,” Bruce said over the microphone as Tony lay inside the scanner with his head strapped into a plastic cage. “Do you think you can do a spell?”

“I can try making fire.”

“Can you make it a small one?” Bruce asked. “That's a bit of a confined space, and I don't want you roasted before we get any results.”

“Will do,” Tony said, raising his hand, and starting to begin the calculations that created fire from nothing. The flame burst into life in the palm of his hand, and Tony shrieked loudly as a bolt of intense pain ran through his head, and down his limbs. “You don't need me to do that again do you? That really hurt.”

“Sorry to ask you this, but can you do it one more time, and maybe for a little longer?”

Tony huffed, and grumbled, “You better appreciate this, Loki.” He raised his hand, and screamed as the ball of flame burnt brightly.

 

 

“So what have we got then?” Tony asked.

“Have you ever heard of Algolagnia?”

“No, what is it?”

“It's a condition where the body misinterprets pain signals as pleasurable… like _sexually_ pleasurable.”

“Bruce, I'm shocked,” Tony said, putting his hand on his chest and feigning outrage. “Have you been going to S&M clubs without me?”

“It's a genuine medical condition, Tony,” Bruce chided. “It's not related to masochism.”

“Well, obviously Loki doesn't have that,” Tony said.

“No, but the disease could have set up conditions in his brain for the opposite to happen. It's possible that the brain activity associated with performing magic is being misinterpreted as pain.”

“OK. So let's do a little brainstorming here. First question: Why is he in constant pain and I'm not?”

“Because his magic doesn't switch off. You have to actively think about it.”

“Is his physiology different? I mean, he's technically a different species, so how do we know his brain isn't in his stomach?”

“He's had a scan before when Clint shot him in the eye, and the structure of his brain looked no different to a human one.”

“Apart from the whole _‘walking around and talking, even though there was a huge huge hole in it’_ thing,” Tony added.  
  
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “If we could give him a PET scan it might help, but I doubt he would hold still for long enough for it.”

“Can't we just tie him down really tight?”

“That's hardly ethical is it?” Bruce asked. “Tony, remember when you were doing all those scans of Loki when he first came here, and you were trying to figure out how his magic worked so you could create a weapon to disable him? How far did you get on that?”

“I only did a few scans,” Tony said. “I still have the results on record if you want to see them”

“Do they show the active areas of his brain?”

“No,” Tony replied, “but I could recalibrate it, and give it another go. Jarvis?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Would you be able to run a brain scan on Loki and compensate for the movement.”

“It would take some time to calculate the compensation algorithm, sir, but I believe it could be accomplished.”

“Give me an E.T.A. on that algorithm?”

“It will take approximately 3.1 minutes, sir.”

“I always knew you were a genius.”

“Thank you, sir.”

 

 

“This is unbelievable,” Bruce said, as he studied the image Jarvis was holographically generating of Loki's brain activity. “I've never seen anything like this.”

“What is it? Tiny? Size of a pea?”

“I'm talking about the levels of activity. They are absolutely off the chart,” Bruce said, as he watched bursts of colour flash across the whole image at once. “That whole _‘humans only use 10% of their brain’_ thing is a myth. We actually use all of our brain, but not like this. Is this being recorded?”

“All being added to the database.”

“The medical staff will want to look at this in depth,” Bruce said. “They'll find something.”

“You know…” Tony said. “Maybe we're approaching this from the wrong direction.”

“What do you mean?”

“Rather than a medical viewpoint, we should attack it from a magical viewpoint,” Tony said, and Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “What does Loki's magic do when he's injured?”

“It heals him.”

“And he said he can't stop that process, but now the magic is causing him pain.”

“And the magic is trying to heal that pain, causing him to be in even more pain.”

“So basically he's trapped in a loop, it's like a vicious circle,” Tony said.

“If we could break the loop with painkillers or a sedative it might restore his pain back down to a normal level, but everything we've tried has had no effect on him,” Bruce said. “Is there anything that effects him, other than Asgardian potions, which obviously we can't risk again.”

“Alcohol!” Tony exclaimed.

“Alcohol?” Bruce asked. “But I've seen Thor drink enough to kill a horse and he barely seems drunk.”

“Well, obviously you've never had Loki vomit all over _your_ limo after a particularly raucous night out.”

“Are you seriously suggesting we just get him drunk?”

“Bruce... why can't you drive a car when you've had a drink?”

“Because it makes your reactions times slower.”

“And why does it do that?”

“Because it depresses the central nervous system and inhibits the higher brain functions… and magic is a higher brain function!”

“You can say it now.”

“What?” Bruce asked.

“That I'm a genius.”

“I wouldn't exactly use the word genius, but well done.”

“So what shall we start him on?”

“What alcohol have you got?”

“Um… Everything, I think.”

 

 

“What's going on?” Clint asked, when he responded to the call to come down to the med lab.

“We found something to help Loki, but we need you to take Thor to go get something stronger,” Bruce said, as he prepared a nasogastric tube.

“That's great news!” Clint said, excitedly. “What is it? Some weird plant or something?”

“Vodka,” Tony said, then proudly added, “It was my idea.”

“Of _course_ it was. Who else would think of drink at a time like this?” Clint said. “So you're just going to keep him permanently drunk?”

“No, it's just to break the cycle,” Bruce said.

“Good cos he's a shitty drunk,” Clint replied. “You know he asked me if I wanted to go in the bath with him once after you took him to some party? I'm pretty sure he was trying to get me into bed.”

“Yeah, he tried it with me as well,” Tony replied.

“Me too,” Bruce added quietly.

“Personally I don't mind the flirty drunk stage,” Tony said. “It's the _‘Woe is me’_ emo drunk phase after it that annoys me.”

“Oh man,” Clint said, “if I have to listen to that story about how he went into a tavern for a drink and everyone was mean to him one more time I think I'll put my fist through a wall.”

“I need you to go prepare the Quinjet,” Bruce said.

“Quinjet?” Clint asked, raising an eyebrow. “Just how many bottles of Vodka are you planning on getting?”

“You aren't going for Vodka. You need to take Thor out to the bifrost site and wait for him. He might find it a bit difficult to fly when he's carrying a barrel of Mead.”

 

 

"You ready?" Tony asked, as he stood by the Quinjet.  
  
"Just waiting on Thor. He wanted to check on Loki before we left," Clint said, as he came down the ramp.  
  
Tony's phone started to ring, he pulled it out of his pocket, and looked at the screen. "Uh oh, looks like Fury wants a word. Better get it before he leaves about 15 shouty voicemails."  
  
Tony moved out of the hanger, away from the noise of the engines, and answered the phone.  
  
"What are you up to, Stark?" Fury said lowly, before Tony could speak.  
  
"Up to? Why would I be up to anything?"  
  
"Because I have a camera aimed at your tower and I can see the Quinjet hanger doors are open. You wouldn't be planning a trip to another country would you, because you know that hasn't been authorised yet."  
  
"And why on earth would I be doing that," Tony asked. "I mean its not like Doom deliberately targeted one of us, and that person has been screaming in pain for hours... Oh _wait_ , that's exactly what it is."  
  
"I'm warning you, if you or any of your team set foot in Latveria and declare an unsanctioned war against the head of another state it _will_ end badly for you."  
  
"Nick, I wouldn't dream of it," Tony said. "Hey, dad, can I use the car, and by car I mean tesseract. We've still got it here, I was just wondering if I was _sanctioned_ to use it?"  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"We're planning a little jaunt to Asgard to pick up something that might help Loki."  
  
"You better not be lying to me, Stark."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it. See ya later!" Tony swiped the phone screen to end the call, then moved back into the hangar, as Thor walked up the ramp into the Quinjet. "You all set?"  
  
"Aye, my brother has not woken yet," Thor replied. "I would be happy if you stayed by his bedside while I am away, Stark. I would not wish him to wake alone."  
  
"Not a problem, big guy, I'll be there."  
  
"What did Fury want?" Clint shouted from the cockpit of the jet.  
  
"Just to give me the usual verbal spanking. Hey Clint, have you got a bow handy?"  
  
"There's one in the back."  
  
"Can you come here a second?"  
  
Clint climbed out of the jet, pausing to grab his bow, and stood next to Tony.  
  
"Can you see a camera pointing at us from that building over there, say in an office that is otherwise completely empty?"  
  
Clint scanned the building opposite, checking every window, until he finally saw the glint of a camera lens reflected in the sun. "Got it."  
  
"Take it out, please. I don't want Fury spying on us, my bedroom faces that direction, and I am not having him watch me sleep naked."  
  
"My pleasure," Clint said, as he raised his bow.

 

 

Loki opened his eyes and blinked sheepishly as he looked around the room, before his eyes finally landed on Tony.

“Hey,” Tony asked quietly. “How you doing?”

“Tired,” Loki replied, as he brought a shaking hand up to his face and ghosted his fingers along the tube that ran into his nose.

“I don't think you should touch that,” Tony said, as he batted Loki's hand away, and Bruce walked into the room. “Hey, look who's up.”

“How are you feeling?” Bruce asked. “In any pain?”

“Some, not as much,” Loki replied. “I am thirsty.”

“Let's get you sat up first,” Bruce said as he moved over to the bed. “Tony, little help.”

“Sure,” Tony replied, as he stood and followed Bruce's lead, slipping his hands under Loki's arms, pulling him into an upright position and shuffling him back as Bruce raised the head of the bed.

“I'll just give you a little for now,” Bruce said, as he crossed the room, and came back with a small plastic cup. Loki grabbed it weakly with both hands, as Bruce brought it to his lips, gulping down the water, until the meagre amount was gone. “Better?”

Loki nodded his head, and then lay back against the pillows, his head drunkenly rolling from side to side, as he ran a hand down his chest and under the cotton sheets.

“Why look, Stark,” Loki giggled, as he dragged back the sheet. “I appear to be naked under this gown. Perhaps you would like to join me in a bath later?”

“You, behave yourself,” Tony said, as he pulled the sheet back up. “Bruce, dial down the Vodka drip a notch, please.”

 

 

After three hours of Loki alternating between giggling, flirting, and weeping inconsolably because no one would ever love him, Bruce finally decided to remove the nasal tube to let Loki sober up, and blow his snotty nose properly.

“You get the mead?” Bruce asked, when Thor finally returned from the bifrost site, and entered the room carrying a folder in his hands. Thor nodded. "Took a long time. Did you have problems?"

“No, Clint contacted Stark, and he said my brother has woken, and was well. I wanted to bring him a gift.”

“Oh OK,” Bruce replied. “We'll keep the mead on standby, in case this happens again. Its strength should pull him out of it a lot faster than the vodka did.”

“May I speak with him?”

“Of course, of course,” Bruce said. “Just remember he's very weak, and probably still a bit drunk.”

“I will, and thank you Banner,” Thor said, and then moved over to the bed. “How are you feeling now, brother?”

“Like I've fallen from the bifrost… again,” Loki replied weakly, as he pulled the blanket that was wrapped round his shoulders tightly around himself.

“Are you still cold?” Bruce asked, as he noticed the gentle shivers that ran through Loki's body.

“A little,” Loki replied. “It is most unusual. I rarely feel the cold.”

“I'll see about getting a heating pad brought in, but for now we can get you some blankets and warmer clothes at least.”

“I cannot return to my room?” Loki asked. “I am feeling much better.”

“I'll do you a deal, tonight you let someone help you take a bath, and if that goes OK, tomorrow morning you can go back to your room.”

“I agree to these terms,” Loki said. “Providing Thor will agree to help me into the bath.”

“Of course I will,” Thor replied. “It will be just like the old days, when we arrived home after a long quest, drank our fill of Mead, and you would invite me into your chambers to bathe together.”

“Okkk _aaayyyy_ ,” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow and shuffling his papers. “I'm gonna go do… something else.”

“Did I offend him?” Loki asked, as Bruce hurriedly left the room.

“The ways of mortals are still often a mystery to me,” Thor replied.

“Perhaps I should have asked his help for bathing?”

“They are strange in their bathing habits, and do not seem comfortable in their own skin, they can be very prudish at times, so do not let the rejection bother you,” Thor replied, and then he smiled. “I brought you a gift.”

“What is it?” Loki asked, suddenly perking up.

Thor opened a folder that had been sitting on his knee, and removed a photo from it, which he handed to Loki. “Look, he signed it just for you.”

Loki snorted, and said “Thor, you _do_ realise I only say I like Justin Bieber because the very mention of his name drives Stark into an almost apoplectic rage, don't you?”

“Of course,” Thor said brightly. “You can place it by your bed, perhaps in one of the frames that Midgardians place photos of someone they love very much. It will be amusing to see Tony's face.”

Loki laughed again, as he took the photo and held it by the edges. “It's a very thoughtful gift, thank you. How did you get it?”

“He played his music in the city tonight. When I heard you had woken I travelled to where he was. I thought I was going to have threaten him with Mjolnir to get him to sign it, but he was most accommodating, and said he hopes you feel better soon.”

“He said that?”

“He said he is a big fan of the Avengers, and that you are his favourite."

Loki smiled, cradling the photo gently in his hands, and said, "Aw, that's so nice of him."


	4. Chapter 4

After being released from the medical floor Loki had gone back to his room, and spent three days in bed, tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position.  He tried to sleep, but every time he did he was woken by pains shooting through his head, his brother asking if he needed anything, or Bruce checking on his condition at least five times a day.  
  
His pain was down to almost tolerable levels, but alcohol didn't seem to bring it down any further, unless he drank till he was on the verge of vomiting, and Loki hated that almost more than he hated the aches that radiated through his body. The levels of pain had surprised him at first, he simply hadn't realised how much he relied upon his magic for the most mundane of actions, but even a simple brush across his skin by a friendly hand left him with a stinging sensation, and a stubbed toe left him screaming in agony.

As he lay in bed the sheets laying across him seemed rough and irritated his skin as he moved restlessly underneath them. His body hurt where it touched the mattress, and made his joints and bones feel like they were burning inside his flesh. He could stand it no longer, threw the covers off, and climbed to his feet unsteadily.

He felt better standing up, the only part of him that hurt was his feet, and he shuffled across the floor on stiff legs to his wardrobe of clothes. He opened the doors and rifled through the neatly hung Asgardian clothing, hoping to find something to stop him feeling so cold, but everything he owned seemed too constricting, too heavy for his aching body.

Thor. Thor had Midgardian clothing. Simple items that pulled over the head, without the need for a multitude of buckles and fastenings, items that looked warm and as if they would be soft against his skin.

Loki hobbled out into the empty corridor, shivering slightly in his bare feet and the fleecy pyjamas that Bruce had claimed would keep him warm enough, but they didn't seem to be doing much against the chilly air of the tower.

Thor's room seemed almost too far away as Loki began to edge along the hallway, and when he finally reached it he sagged against the door for a moment before he raised his hand. Knocking on the dull wood caused waves of pain to shoot up Loki's arm with each gentle tap, and he couldn't stop himself from whimpering slightly as he heard Thor stir inside the room.

The door opened, and Loki stumbled into Thor's arms. “Brother, what are you doing out of bed? You are supposed to be resting.”

“I was bored,” Loki lied, not wanting to admit that even laying down was sending throbbing aches through his body. “I'm too cold.”

“Sit, sit,” Thor said as he directed Loki towards his bed. “Shall I see if I have any warm clothing for you?”

“That would be most helpful, thank you.”

Thor went to his wardrobe and started pulling out long sleeved T-shirts, soft cotton trousers that fastened with a string at the waist, and warm fleece lined jackets that zipped at the front.

“I fear that most of these items will be too big for you.”

“I'll wear them anyway,” Loki said, hoping the largeness of the clothes would stop them chafing against his skin.

“Which items would you like to try?” Thor asked, looking at the clothing that he had thrown haphazardly on the bed.

Loki ran his hands over the items, seeking out the softest materials, pushing his hands into the legs of the trousers and tops to find the warmest.

“These,” Loki said, holding up a thick pair of black jogging bottoms that were lined with soft brushed cotton, then he picked up a warm looking black fleecy hooded zip up jacket. “And this.”

“Are you leaving your pyjamas on?” Thor asked, as he picked up the trousers and knelt on the floor at Loki's feet.

“Yes, I think so.”

Thor lifted Loki's left foot, and began edging the leg of the jogging bottoms up, carefully taking hold of the bottom of the pyjamas, to ensure that they stayed down when the trousers were pulled up, then worked on the other leg. Once he had them up to Loki's knees he said, “Can you pull them up?”

Loki grabbed the waistband, shuffling the trousers up over his thighs, then he leant back, pulling them higher, and tied the drawstring loosely. Thor stood, and unzipped the hooded jacket, directing Loki to put his arms in, he pulled it up onto his shoulders, and then bent to straighten out the pyjama top underneath it, which had rucked up at the back.

“You look warmer already,” Thor said with a smile as he pulled the zip closed. “I believe I have something else that may help you.”

“What?” Loki asked, as Thor dived back into the bottom of the wardrobe, rooting around among the discarded clothes, and mounds of boxes.

“What do you think?” Thor asked, as he turned round, clutching a pair of short fur lined black boots that had strings wrapped round the legs, and tassles hanging off the back.

Loki was temporarily speechless. They were quite the ugliest things he had ever seen in his life. “I don't believe I need shoes, brother. I wasn't planning on going outside.”

“They are not for wearing outside,” Thor said, as he bent down and started pushing them on to Loki's feet. “They are called slippers, and they are meant to be worn indoors. Jane bought me them for Christmas, she said she had them imported from a far off land, but I have never had the opportunity to wear them yet.”

“I can understand why,” Loki said, holding his feet up and looking at the ugly boots. He had expected them to be stiff, to constrict his feet painfully, but they seemed to be delightfully warm, and when he put his feet back on the floor the spongy soles cushioned him from the pain of his skin touching the achingly hard floor. “Thank you for allowing me to wear them, brother. It's very kind of you.”

“Shall I escort you back to your room?” Thor asked, as Loki hauled himself painfully to his feet.

“I believe I will go for a short walk first,” Loki replied, feeling warmer and less sore already.

“May I accompany you?” Thor asked, worrying slightly that Loki would exhaust himself and become ill again.

“I would like that very much,” Loki replied, as he bit his lip, trying to stop a whimper escaping as he took his first painful step.

 

 

The Avengers became used to seeing Loki hobbling through the corridors of the tower over the next few days. The sound of his shuffling footsteps, his occasional muttering under his breath, and soft cries continued through the night as he endlessly wandered the building. Thor had begged him to rest, but Loki ignored him, saying he felt better on his feet.

“Hey, Loki,” Steve said, as he met him outside the kitchen early one morning. "You're up early."  
  
"I could not sleep," he replied flatly.  
  
 “You want some pancakes? I'm just going to make some batter now, and I'll even put chocolate chips in, just the way you like them.”

Loki followed him into the kitchen, his eyes roving blankly round the room for a moment, before he quietly said, “I'm not hungry.”

“When did you last eat something?”

“I don't remember,” he replied in a monotone voice.

“You should eat something. Would you like some toast, or some eggs?”

“No, thank you,” Loki replied, and then he turned and shuffled out of the room.

Loki headed down the corridor back his room, and suddenly felt the desperate need for a bath to soak the aches out of his body and the cold that was leeching into his bones.

In the bathroom he started the taps running, waiting till the steam curling up from the stingingly hot water raised the ambient temperature before removing his clothes. As he started to unzip his hooded jacket, he caught sight of himself in the mirror, and whispered, “Noooo.”

 

Clint left his room, planning on heading down for an early workout before breakfast, when he found Loki stood in the corridor with a distressed look on his face, and both his hands gripping his hair.

“Hey, are you OK?” he asked, and Loki shook his head. “What's wrong?”

“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Loki asked. “I am in need of some assistance.”

 

 

 

“Why on earth are you wearing that?” Tony asked when he found Loki laid on a sofa watching television, in a rare moment of relaxation.

“This?” Loki asked, as he tugged at the hot pink leopard skin snuggie that was wrapped round his body. “I was cold. I borrowed it.”

“Off Natasha?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Off Clint actually.”

“Yeah… I'm not even gonna ask,” Tony said. “And actually I was referring that ridiculous hat. Where the hell did you get that thing?”

“Apparently a hat is a good way to retain your body heat,” Loki replied, as he picked up one of the pom poms that was attached by string to the black and white knitted wool hat. “Agent Barton picked it up on a mission in Norway. I particularly like this bobble on the top. Don't you think it's rather fetching?”

“You're hiding something,” Tony said, as he narrowed his eyes. “There is no way you would make yourself look this idiotic if you weren't.”

Loki grimaced. “I am having a slight issue,” he said, as he pulled off the hat and revealed his hair, which was springing into soft ringlets around his face.

“Whoa! What happened? A home perm gone wrong?”

“This is my hairs natural state,” Loki replied, sadly. “I always used magic to keep it straight, which obviously I can't do now, and I hate it.”

“So the god of mischief has curly hair?” Tony asked, and Loki dejectedly nodded.

Tony wanted to laugh, all the caustic remarks he could make were already running through his head, but Loki's looked so downcast and close to tears, that the humour of the situation quickly died. “I think it's a good look for you.”

“Don't be ridiculous, it looks awful,” Loki snapped, then he quietly asked, “You really think it doesn't look bad?”

“It looks fine,” Tony said, as he turned his attention to the TV, trying to drag Loki's attention away from his hair. “What are you watching?”

“I believe it is called _‘Animals Do The Funniest things’_ ” Loki replied, pulling his hat back into place

“Not your usual viewing,” Tony said.

“Thinking makes my head ache, and this requires almost no thought at all,” Loki replied, shifting uncomfortably on the sofa to find a position that didn't hurt. “Besides, it is surprisingly amusing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I just saw a man get kicked in the testicles by a kangaroo. It was very funny.”

Tony sat on the end of the sofa and watched for a few minutes, laughing at cats falling off things, a rabbit attacking an extremely large snake, and a dog walking on its front legs while it peed in the street, and as much as Tony would have been happy to sit there all day and keep Loki company, he had to work on his armour, just in case Fury finally gave them the go ahead to attack Doom.

“I gotta get back to the lab,” he said, as he patted Loki's feet. “You OK on your own or should I get Thor to come sit with you?”

“I'll be fine,” Loki said, as he pulled his feet away from the contact.

“If you need anything just shout,” Tony replied, as he stood and walked towards the door.

“I will,” Loki replied.

Once he was out of the room Tony paused for a while in the corridor, wondering if he should forget about work for the day. He thought back to the pain he felt in the scanner, when he had conjured a fireball, and felt raw agony flowing through his skin. Was that how Loki felt all the time?

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Find out what are the best make of hair straighteners and order a set please.”

“Planning a makeover are we, sir?”

“Something like that,” Tony replied. “Oh, and turn up the heat by 2 degrees.”  
  
"The staff in the medical wing have already lodged a complaint about your last temperature increase, sir," Jarvis replied.  
  
"Give them a $100 bonus in their wage packet this week, and inform them that the new staff uniform is now Hawaiian shirts and shorts."

 

 

  
“Captain, good afternoon,” Thor said, as Steve approached him.

“Hey, I was wondering if I could have a word with you?”

“I was just about to bathe,” Thor said. “I will find you after, yes?”

“It's about Loki,” Steve said, and he suddenly had Thor's full attention. “I'm really worried about him. He doesn't seem to be eating anything.”

“Loki can survive for a long time without sustenance, but yes, I have tried to get him to eat, and he has rejected my offers. He says I am not a very good cook, and he would rather starve.”

“You could try again,” Steve said, remembering all the times Thor had cooked, and produced something virtually inedible, which they had all eaten out of politeness. “I'll help you. We'll make something nice.”

 

 

“I would enjoy it if you would eat with us tonight,” Thor said, as he walked alongside Loki, who was shuffling down the corridor with one hand on the wall to steady himself, wincing with every footstep.

“I'm not hungry,” he replied stiffly.

“I have not seen enough of you these last few days, brother, and I miss you greatly.” Thor said. “Dinner will not be ready for hours yet, perhaps you will be hungry then?”

“I doubt it,” Loki replied, but as Thor's face fell, he felt a sudden attack of guilt. “All right, but I can't guarantee I'll eat anything.”

“Thank you,” Thor said, his face breaking into a beaming smile. “When you see the magnificent feast Steve is going to help me prepare it will make your mouth water, and you will want to try some.”

“Thor, I think we both know it will end up a burnt mess, but nevertheless I will join you.”

 

 

Thor had cooked before, and Loki was right, it did usually end up a burnt and the Avengers would sit around the table making fake appreciative noises, and then sneakily order pizza later, but with Steve's help he managed to produce a lasagne with a golden crusted cheesy top that made everyone go _Oooohhh_ when he proudly placed it in the centre of the table.

“Good job, man,” Clint said. “That looks amazing.”

“Thor's a really good cook when he actually concentrates,” Steve said.

“Your help was much appreciated, Steve,” Thor said, as he cut the Lasagne into squares. “I could not have accomplished this without you.”

“All I did was remind you to check your timers and your measurements.”

“Nevertheless, I thank you for your assistance.”

Thor sat down, as people ladled out portions of Lasagne, and bowls of salad, dressings and freshly grated parmesan cheese were passed round the table. “Would you like me to serve some for you, brother?”

“No,” Loki said, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach, as he gently rocked back and forward in his seat, his eyes unfocused. “I'm not hungry.”

“Perhaps a little salad?”

Loki shook his head and continued to rock in his chair.

“I could make you something else if you prefer it?”

“I'M NOT HUNGRY!” Loki snapped loudly, and then he winced at the sound of his voice, as everyone jumped at his outburst. “Sorry… sorry.”

“It's OK,” Steve said.

“I apologise,” Loki mumbled. “I didn't mean to shout like that.”

“You really should try to eat something,” Bruce said. “It might make you feel better.”

Loki felt nervous as he looked round the table and saw all eyes were on him. He looked down at his own hands briefly, feeling guilty for rejecting Thor's kind gesture. “I'll try.”

“Lasagne?” Steve asked.

“I'll have a little salad.”

Loki watched as Steve ladled out two spoonfuls of lettuce, tomato and other vegetables. “That's enough, thank you.”

They all watched as Loki pensively speared a chunk of cucumber on his fork, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. Thor cleared his throat, and said, “I believe we should all watch a film tonight. It would be enjoyable to do something together, as a team.”

As a discussion broke out over what they should watch, Loki was grateful that the attention had been turned away from him for a while, and he gently patted Thor's knee under the table. Thor turned his head slightly, flashing Loki a small smile of understanding, and then returned to the conversation.

Loki found his attention drifting away from the group as he continued to lift small forkfuls of salad into his mouth and chew it sluggishly. What if no cure for his condition could be found? Bruce assured him that it was the only thing the medical staff were working on right now, and every day they came closer to finding it, but what if they failed? What if he was condemned to live the rest of his long life without magic, under the threat of constant pain if he tried? What kind of life would be that be for him? He tried not to think about it, to concentrate on something else, but thoughts of spells he would never be able to perform again filled his mind.

There was a twinge of pain in his chest, sudden and vicious, like he'd been running for hours, and his chest wall wouldn't flex any more. As he looked down his hands began to shake, and he couldn't stop the whimper of pain that escaped him.

The conversation stopped, and Thor asked, “Are you well, brother?”

“Of course I'm not well, you oaf,” Loki hissed, as he dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter and brought a shaking hand up to his chest.

“Are you feeling pain again?” Thor asked, and Loki nodded, his fingers bunching tightly in the front of his jacket as he struggled to gasp down a lungful of air.

“Loki, just breathe through it,” Bruce said. “Where does it hurt?”

“Chest,” Loki replied shakily, and then he scrambled to his feet, his hand gripping tightly to the back of Steve's chair as he wavered for a moment.

“Where are you going?” Thor asked.

“Need to lay down,” he replied, managing to take a few faltering steps before he sank to the floor with a small cry of frustration.

“Loki, let me help you,” Thor said, standing.

“There's no need to fuss,” Loki said, as Thor helped him to his feet.

“I'll come with you,” Bruce said, as he wiped his hands on a napkin.

“No,” Loki said. “Stay and finish your meal. I'm quite capable of making it to my room.”

“Your health is my responsibility,” Bruce said as he stood, and made his way round the table. “Come on, let's get you into bed.”

Bruce reached out a hand to take Loki's elbow, which Loki ripped away from him. “I can manage.”

Tony watched as Loki moved towards the door unsteadily, Thor hovering closely, and pulling him back upright when a sudden spike of pain caused his knees to almost buckle underneath him.

They moved into the corridor, and out of sight, but as Tony went to dig into his Lasagne again, they heard a small cry, and a thump as Loki fell again.

As Tony went to stand, Steve put a hand on his wrist and quietly said, “Let Thor and Bruce deal with it. Don't crowd him.”

“He's my god damn friend,” Tony said lowly. “I'm not just going to sit here while he's ill.”

“I know you're his friend, and I'm sure as his friend you'll understand that he probably doesn't want you to see him like this,” Steve said. “Let Bruce help him.”

 _“I'm not a fucking child, Thor,”_ Loki's shrill voice came from the corridor. _“I can get back to my room.”_

_“Loki, where did you learn such words?”_

_“Stark uses that word sometimes. Why shouldn't I?”_

_“Language like that is not becoming of a prince.”_

_“Well, forgive me for not feeling very much like a fucking prince right now!”_

There was silence for a moment, and then another thud, as Thor cried, _“Loki, please.”_

_“I don't need your help! I can do it myself.”_

It went quiet again, and then the low reassuring murmuring of Bruce's voice filtered into the room from the hallway outside.

 _“It's OK to need help sometimes,”_ Bruce said. _“No one thinks any less of you for being ill.”_

Tony put his head in hands, feeling utterly helpless, as he heard the sound of Loki sobbing quietly.

 

Conversation was stilted around the table after the noises in the corridor had ceased. Everyone ate listlessly, the tension in the air palpable, and in the end Tony had given up trying to force food into his rebelling stomach, and decided to go check on Loki.

He cleared his plate away, and headed down the corridor to Loki's room, hoping to find him tucked up in bed, downing a large jug of Mead, and feeling much better, but when he arrived the room was empty.

“Jarvis, where is Loki?”

“I'm afraid I am not allowed to reveal his location, Sir.”

“OK…” Tony complained. “Where is Bruce?”

“Dr Banner is currently located in the medical wing.”

“Thanks. Oh and remind me to upgrade your systems so you can't take orders from Loki that lock me out.”

“Very well, sir."

 

Tony quickly headed down to the medical floor, worry gnawing at his gut that Loki had hurt himself when he fell, and he quietly entered the room.

Loki was laid in the bed, his sweat damp hair hanging limply across his tear stained face, as Thor held his pale, thin hand, and murmured gentle words. His feet were restless under the white sheets, and Bruce held a cup of golden liquid to his lips, letting him drink slowly.  
  
"More?" Bruce asked. Loki nodded, and as Bruce moved away from the bed to refill the cup he looked across the room.  "Tony, you can't be here.”

Loki's head shot round, as he tried to pull the sheet over his face. “No! Get out!”

“I just wanted to see how you were.”

“GET OUT!” Loki shrieked, his head coming up off the pillow, and then his back arched, as his body was struck by another wave of pain.

Bruce moved quickly towards him, and ushered him out of the room, then closed the door behind them. Tony asked, “What's going on?”

“You absolute idiot!” Bruce snapped. “You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?”

“Why is he in medical and not his room?” Tony asked. “He was supposed to be doing better.”

“He isn't, he's just getting better at hiding it,” Bruce sighed. “He doesn't want you all to know how sick he actually is. He has a bit of an issue with people thinking he's weak.”

“None of us would think he's weak. He's ill, he can't help it.”

“I've tried telling him that, but it doesn't make a difference,” Bruce sighed.

“Bruce, what are we going to do?”

“Nurse him through the worst of it while the research team keep working on a cure, or Fury let's us at Doom,” Bruce said, as he ran his hands through his hair. “Until that happens, I guess we try to treat him as normally as we can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be up tomorrow, as I've almost finished the final chapter :-)


	5. Chapter 5

Treating Loki normally was harder than Tony had imagined, especially when he had developed a habit of wandering round the corridors like a ghost, cursing under his breath with each painful step.

He had tried to get Loki to laugh, tried to engage him conversation, tried to entertain him, but the only thing that had gotten much of a reaction out of him was when Clint said that if he didn't start eating soon he would look like the bobble headed toy that had been released of him a few months ago, and received a slap on the face for his slight, which hurt Loki far more than it did Clint.

 

Tony found Loki curled up on the sofa, his eyes blankly staring out over the city through the large windows as the sky grew dark, and the lights of the skyscrapers blinked on one by one.

 _‘Normal’_ , he thought. _‘I can do that, kinda.’_

“It's Saturday night,” Tony announced loudly, as he moved to the bar. “No more of this moping around. Come on. Party time.”

“If it had escaped your attention, I am unwell,” Loki sniffed. “I am in no mood for carousing around town, watching you slobber all over someone's shoulder.”

“I know you're unwell, but it turns out your medicine is alcohol, so you have no excuse,” Tony said, as he poured out two extremely large drinks, “and if you think I'm gonna let you have all the fun by yourself you are sorely mistaken.”

As Tony popped ice cubes into their drinks, he quickly typed out a text message on his phone, keeping his hand under the counter, and sent it to the other Avengers, _‘Mission normality, stage one. Party upstairs right now. Act surprised.’_

Tony crossed the room, and handed Loki the large glass. “Drink up, no excuses.”

 

As Tony was pouring out their second drink Natasha wandered into the room. “Ooooh are we having drinks?”

“It's Saturday night,” Tony said, giving her a quick wink. “Might as well live a little while we're young?”

“And exactly how _young_ are you now, Stark?” Loki asked, with a smirk. “Your rapidly greying hair appears to tell a different story.”

“Laugh it up,” Tony said. “At least I wasn't born in the dark ages, unlike someone in this room.”

As Loki turned away, muttering to himself, Tony smiled, and Natasha playfully kicked him in the leg. “I can see why you wanted a party now.”

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “I've really missed being insulted.”

Over the course of the next hour each Avenger turned up, one by one, and was shocked to find everyone in the same room, with a drink in their hand, but cheerfully decided to join in.

Thor was the last to arrive, and he bounded into the room enthusiastically. “My friends, I have been looking everywhere for you. Is this a party? No one informed me.”

“Grab a drink,” Tony shouted from the across the room, as he tipped more Scotch into Loki's glass, then lay back on the other end of the sofa. “Grab a chair, and join in.”

Thor moved over to the bar, and as he found himself a large glass and began to pour measures of several different spirits into it, Natasha sidled over to him, and whispered, “Great acting, Thor.”

“Acting?” Thor asked. “I fear I do not understand what you mean.”

“You got Tony's message?”

“Message?”

“On your phone?”

“The phone? I'm afraid I sat on it last week, and the device is now in several pieces.”

“Oh, OK,” Natasha replied.

  
Everyone had been drinking for hours, and the party had passed the raucous stage, and Tony had requested that Jarvis download everything from iTunes labelled Chill out music. The Avengers were all laid around, some on the furry rug, while others sprawled on the long brown leathers sofas, as a Groove Armada song played quietly in the background.

Loki was sat up now, pink cheeked, and cross legged on the end of the sofa, still wrapped in the leopardskin snuggie, but everyone was heartened by the slightly drunk looking smile that was plastered across his face.

The conversation had turned to ridiculous questions, each one more personal than the next, starting with everyone's first kiss, their first love, and their first time.

“What's the strangest place everyone's had sex,” Tony asked idly, then he pointed at Steve, “You don't have to answer.” Then pointed at Loki, who had already opened his mouth to speak, “And you, I don't even wanna know if it's worse than that freaky thing with the horse.”

“Oh,” Loki replied, and said no more.

“Isn't that a little personal?” Steve asked.

“No, no, I'll go first,” Tony said. “Mine was with a particularly gorgeous reporter, in the bathroom, while on a break during a senate hearing.”

“Wouldn't that be illegal?” Steve asked, his eyebrows raised in shock.

“Probably,” Tony replied. “Come on who's next?”

“I'll go,” Natasha said. “I once had sex on the back seat of a limousine in the garage of the White House, while working undercover.”

“No way!” Tony exclaimed, and Steve looked like he was having chest pains.

“Yes, way,” Natasha laughed. “It had very comfy seats.”

Clint raised his hand and said, “In the middle of a big top circus ring. I got splinters in my knees.”

Everyone looked at Bruce, and as a blush spread across his cheeks, he said, “Women's changing room in the Macy's lingerie department.”

“Bruce, you old dog, you,” Tony replied, then everyone looked expectantly at Thor.

“In an enchanted apple tree,” Thor replied.

Loki giggled, and said, “I knew that one.”

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed. “You were spying on me?”

“I wasn't spying,” Loki replied. "I was in the tree before you arrived."  
  
"Why were you in a tree?" Thor asked, his brow creasing in confusion.  
  
“I was in the form of a Blackbird, and I couldn't just leave because you wanted your way with some maiden." Loki said. "The clutch of eggs I was sitting on would have gotten cold."

 

 

The next morning Tony felt like he had been repeatedly punched in the head, but it had been worth it to simply feel normal, like a team again, for the first time in too long. Looking round his room, and the state of disarray it was in, with clothes littered all over, and his door left wide open, he knew it was a good night, even though details of the end of it were a little hazy.

Tony heard the sound of shuffling feet from the corridor, and Loki appeared, surprised to find the door open.

“Are you sure you should be up?” Tony asked, as Loki paused. “You look how I feel, and I _know_ I shouldn't be out of bed.”

“I am well enough,” Loki said, as he wavered on his feet.

“You can come in you know,” Tony said. “I'm not gonna try to seduce you.”

“As if you could succeed,” Loki replied as he limped into the room, and took hold of the back of a chair to stop himself wobbling.

“I think you should sit down.”

“I think you should stop giving unwelcome advice,” Loki snapped. He looked around the room, and his eyes landed on a stuffed bear that Tony had knocked onto the floor the previous evening. “What is this?”

“It's a teddy bear.”

“I know what it is, Stark. I was questioning why you had it.”

“Pepper won it at the fair back when we gave dating a shot,” Tony said, as Loki picked up the bear and held it to his chest, idly stroking its plush head. “She said she wore the pants in our relationship so that made me the little lady, hence I ended up with the bear.”

“It is very soft.”

Tony watched as Loki cradled the bear in his arms, and buried his nose in its fur as he closed his eyes. He had noticed the way Loki seemed to shy away from all physical contact lately, as if the touch hurt, and seeing him tenderly clinging to the bear, as if he was in desperately in need of a hug himself, made Tony's throat tighten. “You can have it, if you want it.”

“What use would I have for a stuffed animal?” Loki asked, not loosening his grip on it.

“No, seriously, I was gonna put it in the trash anyway,” Tony lied. “You'd be doing me a favour if you get rid of it for me.”

“All right then,” Loki replied, as he turned. “I should leave now. It is still early. You should go back to sleep.”

“Go get some sleep, yourself.”

“In a while,” Loki replied as he moved towards the doorway, and his legs finally gave way and he landed in a heap on the floor.

Tony shot out of bed, and moved to Loki's side quickly. “Are you hurt?”

“I'm fine.”

“Jarvis, alert the medical team.”

“There really is no need.”

“Wake Thor up as well.”

“Stark, please,” Loki begged. “I don't want him to see me like this again… Weak, and _pathetic_.”

“Loki, you're sick. There's no shame in that.”

“Yes there is,” Loki wailed. “All my life I have been derided, first as a youngster because I was prone to illness while the other children grew strong and healthy, and then because I preferred to used magic in battle rather than rely on brute strength that I simply didn't have. In Asgard frailty is not tolerated.”

“Frailty? I've seen you kick someone clear across the street in battle, so don't you go telling me aren't a complete bad ass. This isn't Asgard, and no one here thinks you are weak, not even Thor,” Tony said. “Quite frankly we're all amazed that you are still on your feet while in so much pain. None of us would be.”

Loki put the bear down, and pushed his hands against the floor, then stammered, “I-I don't think I can get up.”

“Don't even try,” Tony said, as he put his hand on his shoulder.

“Loki,” Thor exclaimed as he appeared in the doorway, and quickly knelt down by his side. “Are you injured, brother?”

“No,” Loki replied quietly. “I simply lost my footing.”

“Shall I carry you back to your room?” Thor asked, knowing his offer of help would probably be rejected.

Loki sat, feeling the weakness of his limbs, the pain of the floor pressing into his bones, and said, “All right.”

Thor moved over, sliding one hand under Loki's knees, and one hand round his back, then lifted him easily into the air. “Let me know if I am hurting you.”

“Thor, wait,” Loki said, as he reached out his arm. “Don't forget my bear.”

Tony reached down and picked up the bear, placing it on Loki's lap, where he curled his free hand tightly into its fur.

“Thank you, Tony,” Loki said.

As Thor turned and walked down the hallway, Tony realised that Loki had never called him by his first name before.

 

 

“We're going to have to start I.V. feeding,” Bruce said. “You've lost too much weight. Without it you're going to keep collapsing.”

“What?” Loki asked, as he sat in bed in the medical bay, with one arm tightly wrapped round the stuffed bear.

“We put a tube in a vein here,” Bruce said, as he raised his hand to Loki's collarbone. “We can give you fluids, and nutrients through it without having to stick you with any more needles, but I'm afraid it means you'll have to stay here, and not in your room.”

“I can survive a long time without eating, much longer than this, without any ill effects,” Loki argued, and then he softly said, “I don't want to stay here.”

“What happened the other times?”

“When I had my lips sewn shut I couldn't eat for months. It was a punishment, but without sustenance to replace my energy, my ability to perform magic is greatly diminished.”

“So stopping you eating is essentially a way to bind your powers so you can't do magic?” Bruce asked, and Loki nodded. “Wow. That is really unethical… But that's not how it's working this time, your magic isn't going to shut off, it can't as long as the virus makes your brain misinterpret everything as pain, and it'll keep going until there's nothing left of you.”

Loki looked downcast, realising Bruce was right, and whispered, “Will you do it? The tube? Will you put it in?”

“We have nurses who are trained to do that, and they've done it lots of times, so it's probably best if one of them does it.”

“Will you stay with me while it is done?”

“Sure,” Bruce replied, as he patted him gently on the arm.

 

 

The insertion of the line into Loki's vein had been painful, and he had cried as his magic attempted to heal the needle puncture. The stinging sensation had lasted all day, and didn't subside overnight. It left Loki unable to sleep, feeling uncomfortable in the hard bed, as he turned repeatedly.

Light from the sun rising over the city was beginning to trickle into the room as he stood and wandered to the bathroom, dragging the I.V. pole along behind him. He closed the door, and turned on the light, then stared at his own reflection in the mirror on the wall.

The harsh artificial light made the dark shadows under his eyes stand out even further, his hollow cheekbones looked angular and sharp, and where his pyjama top had fallen open he could see the bones of his sternum sticking through his skin. He loosened a few buttons on his pyjamas, pulling the top down over his shoulder to expose his collarbone where the artificial tube entered his body, but the point where plastic met skin was covered in tape.

They were feeding him now. Food made his magic grow stronger, and with it the pain would increase. He reached up and disconnected the tube from the I.V.

 

 

“Mr Banner, sir,” Jarvis said. “Sorry to wake you so early, but I believe Mr Odinson requires your assistance.”

“What is it?” Bruce asked, blinking at his alarm clock, which displayed 5 am in bold red digits.

“He has left the medical bay, and is currently standing outside on the landing platform.”

“He's what?” Bruce shouted, as he threw the covers back, and jumped out of bed. “Wake Thor.”

 

Loki stood at the edge of the platform, peering down into the quiet street below. The sun was still low in the sky, casting a golden glow that reflected off the glass windows and reminded him of Asgard. He missed home, he missed his room, his father, he even missed Heimdall, but most of all he missed his mother, and he would never be able to see her again unless a cure was found.

“Loki, come away from the edge,” Bruce said, as he edged down the walkway slowly.

“Why?” he asked, still leaning over and looking down into the street.

“Because I've been there myself, I can see what you're thinking, and trust me, it's a really bad idea.”

“What have I to live for?” Loki asked, suddenly turning to face Bruce. “An eternity of having my magic crippled, and living in constant pain?”

“You have friends, family, people who care about you. You have us.”

“I can never see my parents again, and in 1000 years time you will all be dead, and I will still be here, suffering,” Loki shouted angrily. “You tell me there is a cure to be found, but what if it doesn't happen? What if you mortals never discover it?”

“A human made this disease and you can be damn well sure that we will not give up trying to find the cure for it.”

“I believe you will try,” Loki said, and then he whispered, “I also believe you will fail.”

“Loki, brother, come away from the edge,” Thor shouted, as he came out onto the walkway.

“Thor, don't come any closer,” Bruce said. “Give him room.”

“I'm sorry, Thor.” Loki said as he backed away until his feet were against the edge of the landing pad. “Tell mother and father that I love them”

Loki held his arms out, closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall backwards, as Thor started to run forwards shouting “Loki, no!”

Bruce ran, throwing himself off the edge of the platform, tumbling down the side of the building, catching glimpses of himself reflected in the windows, as his skin turned green, and his muscles began to expand.

Hulk roared as he fell, pushing his arms forward like a diver to make his shape more streamlined and increase his speed. He was gaining on Loki rapidly, who was still falling with his arms and legs splayed out, slowing his fall as they resisted the wind.

With only 100ft before they smashed into the ground, Hulk grabbed Loki's foot, then rammed one of his arms into the side of the building, catching on glass, steelwork, and the flimsy floors of each level of the building, slowing their speed until he landed safely in the street below with a thump that broke the slabs of the side walk.

 

 

 

Tony was woken by a thumping sound that sounded like an elephant was walking up the stairs, and then in the distance he could hear shouting and screaming.

“Jarvis, what the hell is going on?” he asked as he threw back the bed covers and pulled a T-shirt over his head.

“I'm afraid there has been an incident, sir.”

 

“What happened?” Tony asked when he arrived at the top of the stairs to the medical floor, and found Hulk coming up the stairs with Loki flung over his shoulder, screaming like a banshee, and Thor following behind them.

“You must calm yourself, brother,” Thor shouted, as Loki attempted to claw his way out of the Hulk's grasp, digging his fingernails into the creature's shoulder, trying to make it bleed.

“You should have let me die,” Loki shrieked. He tried to twist his body, trying to squirm out from under its tight grip, then repeatedly brought his knee up sharply into Hulks jaw. “I will find a way. You will not be able to stop me.”

“Not hurt,” Hulk grunted.

“You will let me go now,” Loki shouted. “I command you to let me go.”

“NO!” Hulk roared.

“Stark, I think you should step back,” Thor said, as Loki started to scream and scratch at the Hulk's back like a wildcat as they moved into the medical section.

Tony moved to the side as they went through the door, then followed in behind them as Hulk pushed Loki down onto the bed. Loki reached over, grinning like a lunatic, and grabbed the abandoned I.V. pole, Tony shouted, “Look out!”

The metal pole rebounded off Hulk's skull, not enough to injure him, but enough to slow him for a second, which allowed Loki to squirm off the bed and smash the nearest window.

“No!” Thor screamed, as he shot across the room, and grabbed hold of Loki's leg, pulling him back into the room, as he tried to climb onto the ledge outside.

“Let me go!” Loki screamed, kicking out at his brother, landing solid blows on his nose with his heel.

“I won't let you fall again, brother,” Thor said, as another blow landed on his cheekbone. 

Blood poured from Loki's arms where it had raked against the glass of the broken window as Hulk grabbed him by the waist and dragged him from the ledge. The cuts healed sluggishly, blood staining the white sheets as hulk placed Loki back on the bed, but if he felt the pain of his magic working he did not show it, as he continued to thrash against them.

Hulk held Loki down firmly as Thor buckled the restraint round his right wrist, but as soon as he let go Loki ripped his arm upwards tearing through the leather and webbing of the restraint with a strength that Thor had never seen.

“There is only one thing that can hold him,” Thor said, as he held his hand out.

“Whoa, wait, you aren-” Tony's question was cut off as Mjolnir smashed through the ceiling, tearing a wide hole in it, bringing tiles crashing to the floor, and landing firmly in Thor's waiting hand.

“Fold his arms,” Thor said.

“Noooo!” Loki screeched, as Hulk forced his hands down, placing one palm on his chest, then the other hand on top of it. “Please, brother no. Do not do this, I beg you.”

“I'm sorry, but you have given me little choice,” Thor replied, as he placed Mjolnir on top of Loki's hands, pinning them to his chest, and him to the bed.

“I will escape,” Loki hissed. “I will escape and I will kill you all.”

His adrenaline fading, Bruce began to shrink down, his skin flushing back to its natural pink, as his body regained its normal shape, and he said, “ I know you're upset, but we can't let you hurt yourself.”

“You should be more worried about yourself, you dull creature,” Loki snapped, and then he cackled. “When I escape my bonds I will see that you are the first to die.”

“You know not what you say, brother.”

“You think me weak, but I have plans,” Loki warned. “You think you have tamed me, that I am good, but I have been here, in the heart of your operation, seeking out your weak points, and now I know them all!”

“You lie.”

“I lie every day, _brother_. Every kind word, every time I saved a life, every time I acted like part of your _pathetic_ team, ALL LIES!”

“No one is falling for this, Loki,” Bruce said, trying to calm him.

 “Poor, _poor_ Thor, falling for my tricks again,” Loki continued. “When I escape you will have no choice but to kill me, because if you don't I will kill you first.”

“Then I will let you kill me, because I will not hurt you.”

Loki howled as a weak fireball flashed from his fingertips, dissipating before it reached Thor's face, his last desperate attempt to escape, and he fell back on the bed, panting through the pain, as tears finally spilled down his cheeks.

“Thor, please…” Loki wheezed, “I can't do this any more. It would be easy for you do to do it. One strike from Mjolnir would be enough.”

“Do not ask me such things, brother.”

“If you had a horse that was in pain you would ease its suffering. Why won't you accord me the same dignity?”

“Because I love you too much to lose you,” Thor said, his voice breaking.

“Then you condemn me to a living death simply because you are too selfish to let me go,” Loki replied as he closed his eyes, and stilled on the bed. “After all this time, why should I expect anything else?”

Thor opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce held his hand up, and then motioned for him to move away from the bed, and ushered him, and Tony into an adjoining room.

“What the hell are we going to do?” Tony asked. “We can't leave him stuck there till a cure is found, or Fury gets his act together. We have no idea how long that will be.”

“We really need to do something,” Bruce said. “Thor, is there anything you can think of that we can do for him that will help?”

“I know of one thing.”

“What do you need?” Tony asked.

“The tesseract,” Thor replied. “And the Quinjet.”

 

 

Loki had lost track of time as he lay with the hammer on his chest and his eyes clamped shut. When he opened them the sun looked like it was high in the sky, and he estimated that it had been several hours since anyone had even bothered to check on him.

He wriggled under the hammer once more, knowing it was futile, but testing the bounds of his imprisonment anyway. Even at full strength he had never managed to shift Mjolnir by so much as a fraction of an inch, but even now in his weakened state he would not give up until the hammer moved and he was free. When he escaped he would steal himself away, then he would run across the city, and find some way to end his accursed life.

There was a sound in the hallway, Thor's overly loud voice talking to someone, and Loki rolled his eyes.

The door swung open, and Loki's mouth dropped open.

“My child,” Frigga said, as she entered the room, quickly closing the distance between them to stand by his side. Thor entered behind her, and went to the other side of the bed.

“Mother,” Loki gasped. “You must leave, I am infected. I don't want to make you ill.”

“Oh nonsense,” Frigga cooed, as she stroked his hair. “What kind of mother wouldn't put her own son first?”

“But you are a magic user, mother,” Loki said, trying to shrink away from her touch. “I don't want to condemn you to my fate.”

“My magic is by choice, my child, and it is very limited, I am not as gifted as you,” Frigga said, and then she eyed the hammer resting on Loki's chest. “Thor, if you will.”

“Sorry, mother,” Thor said, as he plucked Mjolnir from Loki's chest, allowing his hands the freedom to reach for his mother, and pull her into an embrace.

Frigga slipped her shoes off. “Move over.”

Loki shifted in the bed, moving to one side, as his mother climbed into the bed next to him. He laid his head on her chest, and as she gently stroked his hair he fell asleep for the first time in days.


	6. Chapter 6

At first Loki had been too weak to do anything and simply lay curled in his mother's arms, allowing her to spoon soup into his mouth after it became clear that he was shaking too much to feed himself. She would hold his hands when he was in pain, telling him to relax and clear his mind, to breathe through the agony until it passed, and made him laugh by saying it couldn't be any worse than giving birth to an eight legged horse.

Once Loki was strong enough to move Frigga took up residence in the kitchen, cooking his favourite Asgardian meals, and trying out Midgardian recipes that Jarvis printed out for her. She would help Loki to the table, and encourage him to eat, cutting up his food into small pieces for him as if he were a child, smiling gently as he tentatively placed them in his mouth and chewed.

A small sofa was moved into the kitchen where Loki sat between meals, bundled in blankets, watching his mother constantly with wide eyes, as if terrified she might suddenly vanish, that he might be abandoned and left to suffer alone again.

The dining table was always filled with pies, giant roasts of ham, and pots of delicious stew. The smell of freshly baked bread never failed to entice the Avengers into the room with watering mouths, and Frigga was always waiting for them with her latest batch of home made Jam for them to try. The kitchen quickly became the heart of the tower, the one place where everyone was drawn, it was always filled with warmth and laughter, and Frigga was at the centre.

Tony did his best to get every single ingredient that she asked for, no matter how strange. When Frigga asked for a whole shark, he brought her one. When she asked for a large box filled with gravel, he got her one. When she cut the shark into steaks and buried it the gravel then left it outside on the roof Tony thought he might throw up in his mouth a little, but Frigga convinced him that Hákarl, or rotten shark, was a wonderful delicacy, and he decided to try it, when it was rotten enough, in 6 to 8 weeks.

 

 

As Frigga waited for her dough to rise so she could bake fresh honey and oat bread, she sat on the sofa and hummed a sweet tune as she straightened Loki's hair for him with the strange heated device that Tony had given him.

“What is this?” Loki had asked, when Tony had handed him the box.

“It's a present,” Tony replied.

“A gift? For me?”

“To myself mostly,” Tony said. “I'm sick of seeing you in that ridiculous bobble hat.”

Loki pulled the Straighteners out of the box, closing them several times with a loud snap. “How do I use it?”

“There's an instruction manual probably, but I never use those. Practical experience is always the best way to learn,” Tony said as he plugged them in at the wall.

Loki got the Straighteners tangled in his hair twice, burnt himself once, and Tony burnt himself three times before they finally gave up and asked Frigga for help, and she after that she decided she would straighten Loki's hair every morning after breakfast.

“There we go,” Frigga said, as she straightened the final section of hair at the front. “All finished.”

“Thank you, mother,” Loki replied with a tired smile, and hugged her tightly.

  
“Loki is a bit of a momma's boy, huh?” Tony said, as he walked down the corridor, with Bruce at his side, and passed the open door to the kitchen, catching a glimpse of the scene inside. “Who would have thought it? We should keep her. He's defiantly less ‘liar, liar, pants on fire’ with her around.”

“If you were sick as he is, wouldn't you just want a hug from your mother?” Bruce asked, as they continued walking.

“Probably not, she's been dead for years,” Tony said. “It'd be a _tiny_ bit creepy, and probably quite uncomfortable, what with the bones and everything.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah I do,” Tony replied. “What about you? Parents tucked away in some picture perfect cottage with a white picket fence?”

Bruce stopped. “It isn't in my file?”

“What isn't?”

“About my parents. That's not in my file?”

“Obviously not since I literally have no idea what you're talking about.”

“I'm shocked. I thought the prying eyes of Shield would love to spread my personal business around,” then he sighed and added, “My mother was murdered when I was a kid.”

“Oh Bruce, I had no idea, sorry man.”

“Oh it's even better than that, it was my father who did it,” Bruce said. Tony was speechless, not quite sure what words would possibly offer his friend any kind of comfort, and Bruce continued, “It was a long time ago now, but I'd give anything for one more hug.”

 

 

Spirits were high in the kitchen later that day when everyone gathered for lunch to try out the first salmon that Frigga had made in the smoker that Tony had set up for her on the roof of the tower, and everyone agreed it was the best they had ever tasted.

They chatted, as they smothered fresh bread with cream cheese and piled it high with the delicious fish.

“I have never had such amazing salmon, ma'am,” Steve said, as he squeezed a wedge of lemon over his open sandwich.

“The secret is all in the wood chips that you use to create the smoke, Steven. Anthony was very kind enough to find me the very best.”

Tony smiled, and Natasha let out a small laugh.

“What?” Tony asked.

“Bruce told me earlier that you called Loki a momma's boy," she said quietly.  "A bit hypocritical when you are running round after her more than anyone.”

“I am not.”

“Tony, where did you get the shark that she wanted?”

“Japan.”

“Did you import it?”

“Sort of…” Tony replied, non-committally.

Natasha put her elbow on the table, and rested her cheek on her hand. “You went down and caught that shark yourself, didn't you?”

“Maybe,” Tony replied. “She's just so…”

“Motherly?”

“I was going to say nice.”

“Don't worry about it Tony, we all feel the same way,” Natasha replied. “I guess that's natural though. We're all orphans basically, and everyone needs a mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you _ever_ actually listen to a word anyone says to you?”

“Sure,” Tony replied. “If it's about cool stuff.”

“Steve talks about his mother all the time, surely you must know his parents died.”

“He was in ice for 70 years so I assum-”

“Both his parents died before he even graduated high school, Tony,” Natasha said disapprovingly.

“Oh,” Tony replied with a wince. “Maybe he should have been a bit clearer about it?”

“Maybe you should have listened a little better?” Natasha asked. “Did you know my parents died when I was young, and Clint’s too?”

“Did you know about Bruce's parents?” Tony asked.

“I did, but only because it's my job to know those things. For everyone else, I knew because it's friend's job to actually _listen_ when they speak.”

“I'll try to do better,” Tony replied.

“Good, and stop ragging on Loki for behaving exactly the same way you are.”  
  
“Maybe I should start letting her do my hair every morning.”

“Knock it off, Tony."

 

 

It was Saturday night. Tony had been working on his suit all day, so it was definitely time for some quality relaxation time, kick back with a DVD, and drink himself into a near comatose state.

Tony walked into the living room, and found Frigga gently stroking Loki's hair, as he slept with his head on her knee. “Oh sorry. I didn't realise you'd be in here.”

“Nothing to apologise for, Anthony. Loki was showing me something called ‘Animals do the funniest things’, but fell asleep before the end,” she said with a gentle smile. “Come, sit with me for a moment.”

“I don't want to wake him up,” Tony said, as he began fumbling round in the bar for a bottle of scotch and a glass. “I'll just take this and get out of your way.”

“It will be fine, come, sit,” she said, as she held her hand out to him.

Tony poured himself a large drink, dropped a few ice cubes into the glass, and then padded quietly over the room to sit next to Frigga on the sofa. He asked, “How do you think he's doing?”

“I believe he is learning to control the pain, but it is a long process. Loki's magical ability is one of the most advanced in all of the realms, and he simply cannot unlearn it.”

“He doesn't even have to think to do it.”

“No, he doesn't. Tell me Anthony, if someone placed a book in front of you, would you be able to prevent yourself from seeing the letters and reading the words?”

“No, its just second nature. It can't be helped.”

“And that is how Loki is with his magic. It is an unconscious action that is part of him now,” she said. “Asking him to stop performing it is like asking you to unlearn how to read a book, like asking someone to learn how to stop breathing. It is nigh on impossible, and yet we must ask him to do it.”

“Do you think he can? Can he learn how to do that?”

“Loki was always a sensitive boy, always anxious, and frequently ill, but he refused to let it stop him. He was always off with Thor on some grand adventure,” Frigga said, smiling gently as she stroked his hair. “He never told us until recently that people mocked him cruelly for using magic, for being weak, for not being like Thor, which he never could be because he _isn't_ like Thor. I deeply regret not telling him about his heritage sooner, and maybe things would have been different if we had, but if he is strong enough to make it through that, I believe he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to.”

 

 

Steve was heading to his quarters when he walked past Loki's room, and saw him sat in bed in the dark, illuminated by the light of the TV with a frown on his face, through the open door.

"You're up late," Steve said, stopping in the doorway. "Everything OK?"

"I fell asleep earlier," Loki replied. "I couldn't get back to sleep."

Steve heard the sound of his own voice coming from the television, and came into the room. “What are you watching?”

“It is on the history channel,” Loki replied, watching black and white footage of Steve during World War 2, which then flicked back to him sat in a studio, talking about his time in the USO.

“Wow, they're repeating this old thing?” Steve asked as he came in the room. “They filmed the interview sections shortly after you attacked New York.”

“It has been most interesting,” Loki replied. “I found your comments about the death of your friend very moving.”

Steve swallowed, suddenly back in the train, watching Bucky fall. “It was a long time ago.”

“I thought the most interesting section was about your early life. How you would stand up to bullies, even when you had no hope of winning,” Loki said, and then he turned to Steve. “The serum never really changed you, did it? You remain the same person you were before you took it.”

“Erskine told me I was a good man,” Steve replied. “I really hope I lived up to that.”

“I believe you have. Tell me, if it was all taken away tomorrow, if you suddenly lost all your abilities, would you still be the same person?”

“You're worried about what you'll do, now you can't use your magic?”

“Captain, everything that makes you a hero was a quality you possessed before the serum, it just gave you the physical attributes that you lacked. What will I be without my skills? What use is a powerless sorcerer to anyone?”

“There are tons of things you can do,” Steve replied. “You're smart, Tony will want your help.”

“Oh joy, condemned to a life of listening to Stark blithering on endlessly,” Loki said sarcastically.

“Powers or not, Loki, you can't give up hope.”

Loki cast a weary look at Steve, and said, “Hope is a four-letter word, Captain and I've been roundly informed by Thor that I'm not allowed to use them while our mother is here. Apparently it's unbecoming for a prince to use words like _fuck_ , _shit_ , and _crap_.”

Steve flinched at the angry tone of Loki's voice as he enunciated each word carefully, and replied, “There are plenty of good four letter words. Love, is a four letter word and you have plenty of people here who love you.”

“What about liar?” Loki asked sourly. “Without my magic that's all that I will be.”

“Team, Loki,” Steve said. “Team is a four-letter word, and like it or not you are part of this team, even without your magic, there is still a place for you here."  
  
Loki reached for the remote, and switched the TV off. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll retire for the night."  
  
"OK," Steve said, as he moved towards the doorway. "Don't forget what I said though. Don't give up, because we're not about to give up on you."

 

 

“So what are your plans for today?” Tony asked Loki the next morning when he found him sat in the kitchen pensively twirling his slightly curly hair round his fingertips. “Sit around and let your mother fawn all over you like an injured kitten?”

Loki scoffed and shot Tony an incredulous look, then said, “Yes.”

“Don't you think you should take her out somewhere? Maybe see a show?”

“I don't know if it's escaped your attention, _Anthony_ , but I'm still have a great deal of difficulty walking.”

“You could use the wheelchair.”

Loki's mouth dropped open. “I am never getting in that thing again.”

“There's nothing wrong with the chair. Maybe we could customise it,” Tony said. “Paint it green, put some gold flames down the side. Maybe add some horns for the handles, a few skulls...”

“Skulls?” Loki asked. “I believe you have mistaken me for a fan of your Midgardian rock music.”

“Mistaken? Don't you come over all coy with me,” Tony said. “I know you secretly got Jarvis to download the entire My Chemical Romance back catalogue last month.”

“That was a mistake,” Loki sniffed. “I was looking for details of love potions on the internet and mistook that for one.”

“You can't hide it from me,” Tony said. “You are a secret Emo kid.”

“I am not,” Loki protested. “I am nothing like one of these Emo kids.”

“Really? You've got the floppy black hair for a start.”

“This is my natural hair colour.”

“Jarvis, define Emo Kid.”

“Although there is no dictionary definition for the phrase ‘Emo Kid’, Urban dictionary defines it as ‘The stereotype for a kid aged 13 to 19 who has a lower tolerance for sad emotions, who feels inadequate of their own personal worth, and who feels like they aren't good enough.’”

“Sad emotions, low self worth, not good enough, can't live up to their fabulous older brother,” Tony said with a smirk. “Sound familiar?”

“Don't be ridiculous, Stark. That sounds nothing like me,” Loki snapped. “I am not a child for a start.”

“Yeah, yeah, emo kid,” Tony mocked.

“Good morning!” Frigga announced brightly as she swept into the kitchen, and gently ruffled Loki's hair. “How are you today, my little lamb?”

“I am well, thank you, mother.”

“And Anthony? How are you? Keeping my son out of mischief, I do hope.”

“As always.”

“He was calling me names.”

“Anthony, don't be mean,” Frigga chided, “and Loki, don't tell tales.”

“Yes, mother,” Loki grumbled.

“Have you boys had breakfast yet?” Frigga asked, and Tony and Loki shook their heads. “Well, in that case I shall make a feast for us all. Pancakes for everyone!”

There was a dull thud, a popping sound in the distance, echoing from below, and the floor began to shudder.

As they all looked at each other, Tony asked, “What the hell was that?”

“We are under attack, sir,” Jarvis replied. “I have alerted the other members of the team and they are assembling now.”

“Fire up my suit, and keep me informed,” Tony said as he stood.

“I'm afraid it is too late, sir,” Jarvis replied. “The intruders have already entered the building.”

A flickering hologram of Doombots tearing through Tony's lab appeared in the air. One of them turned, as the others smashed the desk, and destroyed the equipment, and said, “Find the Odinson.”

“We need to get you out of here," Tony said.

“What?” Loki asked.

“I get the distinct impression it's not Thor they're after. Come on, you need to run.”

“I do not advise leaving this room, sir,” Jarvis intoned. “The intruders are scattered throughout the building and one is on this floor.”

“Where is everyone, do they know we're trapped up here?”

“I have informed Thor, and he is on his way, but he is encountering resistance in the stairwell. He may not arrive before the intruder.”

“Great,” Tony replied. He looked round the kitchen, then started opening the cabinets, and doors, desperately searching for somewhere to stash Loki. “Get in the fridge.”

“What?” Loki asked, as Tony started dragging out what little food was in it, and throwing it in the bin, then pulled out the shelves and put them in the small gap behind the sofa. “I'm not leaving my mother out here defenceless while I hide like a coward.”

“They aren't here for her, but they _will_ kill you if they find you, this is the only place big enough, and if they have heat sensors they won't be able to locate you, so get in the god damn fridge now!”

“Please, Loki,” Frigga begged. “You must hide. I will be safe.”

“I can fight with you.”

“No, you can't,” Frigga said, placing her hands on his chest. “Do this for me, please?"

Tony stood with the fridge door open. “Get in.”

Loki paused for a moment, then put his hands either side of the fridge, and climbed into it.

“Do NOT make a sound,” Tony warned.

The light went out as the door closed, and Loki was plunged into darkness. His position was awkward, crouched in the narrow space, and he did his best not to move even though he was shivering already.

He heard a sound. It was muffled, a loud bang as if the door had been kicked open so forcefully it had hit the wall behind it. Voices, he couldn't make out what they were saying, but he was sure he heard his own name. Silence. Nothing but the sound of his own of his own rapid heartbeat hammering in his chest. A muffled thump, and then something hit the fridge, causing it rock gently. Loki held his breath, and then his mother screamed.

“No!” Frigga shouted as Loki slammed open the door of the fridge, and jumped out onto the kitchen floor.

“Odinson,” the Doombot said, as it tightened its grip on Frigga’s throat. “Cowering in a hiding place while your mother suffers? What a pathetic creature you are.”

“Let her to go free, and I will allow you to live,” Loki said calmly.

“Loki, don't,” Tony said, his nose streaming with blood, half sprawled on the sofa where he had landed after the bot had knocked him into the fridge.

“My master has been looking for you, Odinson,” The bot continued. “Your part in his plan has become redundant. We have come to end your life, and the lives of the Avengers in recompense. We never dreamed we would be able to take the life of the Queen of Asgard too.”

Loki tensed as the bot stroked its finger against his mother's neck, and then raised his hands.

“Loki, no!” Tony shouted.

A blue bubble formed in front of Loki's hands, which began to shake with the pain of using his magic.

“You are weak, Odinson,” The bot laughed. “You cannot possibly hope to-”

The bubble pulsed with light and expanded outwards, slowly at first until it was the size of an orange, then it exploded with a whoosh. The light moved across the room rapidly, passing through Loki's body as it expanded, flashing over Frigga, Tony, and everything in the room, but when it pressed against the Doombot it shrieked like twisted metal, smashing the bot against the kitchen wall with such force that it exploded out through the concrete exterior, where it fell uselessly into the street below.

Loki stood, unmoving, in the centre of the kitchen, his eyes wide, his hand still outstretched. He gasped for air twice as his eyes rolled back, and then collapsed to the floor, his limbs twitching.

“Loki!” Frigga shrieked, as she fell to the floor beside him.

Tony quickly moved across the kitchen, kneeling, and turning Loki onto his side. “Jarvis, get medical up here NOW!”

“I have already alerted them, sir. The building is clear of int-”

“The building is clear?” Tony snapped.

“The energy wave pushed every intruder out of the building, sir,” Jarvis intoned. “Mr Rogers and Miss Romanoff are heading to street level deal with the few that were not destroyed by the fall. I have also dispatched a repair crew to fix approximately 16 damaged sections of th-”

“Enough of the janitorial shit,” Tony snapped, as he leant over Loki. “How long till that medical team gets here?”

“ETA is approximately 1.1 minutes, sir.”

“What is happening to him?” Frigga asked.

“He's having a seizure,” Tony replied, but Frigga looked confused. “It means his brain has abnormal electrical activity, probably caused by using his magic. I told him. I told him not to do it. Why didn't you god damn listen to me?”

The door opened, and the medical team entered the room. A doctor in a dirt streaked white coat stepped forward, and said, “Can I ask you to move back, please?”

Tony stood, holding Frigga’s shoulders and urging to her allow the Drs access. “They'll help him.”

There was the sound of feet pounding along the corridor outside, and Thor entered the kitchen.

“Thor,” Frigga gasped, as she ran to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his body.

“What has happened?” he asked, as he held his mother in his arms, and watched the medical staff swarming around his brother.

“Loki pushed the metal men from the building.”

“ _What?_ ” Thor asked. “I thought that was one of Stark's weapons.”

“Nothing to do with me,” Tony said.

“Thor, I fear he has injured himself. He was trying to save me. It will be my fault if he… if he…”

“The healers here are very skilled, mother,” Thor said. “They will help him, and everything will be well.”

 

 

Tony nervously prodded at his phone, as he sat outside the medical bay. Thor sat by his mother and held her hands comfortingly in his.

“It is my fault,” Frigga said through her tears. “If I had remained calm perhaps Loki would have stayed hidden.”

“Noooo,” Thor said reassuringly. “You did nothing wrong.”

“Perhaps if I had fought back?”

“Loki would not want you to put yourself in harms way, mother,” Thor said, and then he jumped at the sound of the door opening.

“Tony, can you come in here?” Bruce asked, as he emerged from the lab. “We need some help with the scans.”

“Sure,” Tony said as he stood.

“May we see him yet?” Thor asked.

“Not just yet,” Bruce said. “Soon, I promise. We need to get him settled first.”

Tony followed Bruce into the room that was swarming with staff, and in the centre was a bed where Loki lay, dressed in a white medical gown, his limbs twitching.

“He's still seizing?” Tony asked.

“We've tried absolutely every medication we can think of and none of it has helped,” Bruce said. “We've given him alcohol, but his body isn't absorbing it.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“You came up with the last stupid idea that worked… we were kinda hoping you might have another.”  
  
"No pressure then?"  
  
“Tony,” Bruce said quietly. “If we can't end this seizure it's going to kill him.”

“Mr Stark,” the Dr in the dirt streaked white coat said, as he entered the medical bay carrying a clipboard, and held out his hand. “It's good to meet you again.”  
  
“And you are?” Tony asked, as he shook the man's hand.  
  
“Dr Robert Morgan.”  
  
“Are you new?”  
  
“I've been working for you for over two years,” Morgan replied. “You personally offered me this job.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yes, at the Gala dinner where you announced you were going to find a cure for cancer.”  
  
“OK, Jarvis?”  
  
“Yes, sir?”  
  
“Remind me to build some kind of miniature recording device to wear to parties so I can review what I've actually said the next day.”  
  
“I'll put it on the list, sir.”  
  
Tony turned back, and said, “So, where were we?”  
  
“Jarvis, can you bring up the scan of Loki?” Morgan asked. “Calibrate it for full body, and blood flow please?”  
  
“It would be a pleasure,” Jarvis said, as a holographic image flickered into life.  
  
“How do you get him to be so polite?” Tony asked.  
  
“I talk to him nicely,” Morgan replied.  
  
“Yeah, not trying that one. I'll put up with the sarcasm.”  
  
The holographic image was fuzzy at first, but as Jarvis compensated for Loki's constant movements and twitching, it cleared and revealed patches of black, grey, and bright pulsing red.  
  
“Wow,” Bruce exclaimed, as he walked around the image. “I guess that's why he didn't absorb the alcohol.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Tony asked.  
  
“The red parts show areas of high blood flow,” Morgan said, pointing out bright area that surrounded Loki's brain, and duller areas around his lungs and heart. “The grey is areas of lesser blood flow, and the black represents areas of no blood flow, areas that are dead.”  
  
“Dead?” Tony asked, as he looked at the hologram, which had had a large area of black in the middle.  
  
“His body is trying to protect his brain function by directing blood flow to that, and away from less important systems,” Bruce pointed out. “The black part is his stomach and gastrointestinal tract. It's showing zero blood flow.”  
  
“Can you treat it?”  
  
“Beyond surgery to remove it? No,” Morgan replied. “Eventually gangrene will set in, and who knows what that will do to him in his present condition.”  
  
“The blood flow's decreasing all over his body,” Bruce said, looking closely at the hologram. “We're looking at massive organ failure here.”  
  
“Looks like his kidneys are in trouble already, his liver too, and the blood flow to his extremities is worryingly low,” Morgan said as he moved over the bed, and lifted the sheet to expose Loki's foot. He ran his hand across the skin and said, “He's going to lose his toes.”  
  
“The alcohol hasn't worked,” Bruce said. “We need something that will stop the brain activity, even if we can lessen it by a small amount it would give him more time.”  
  
Tony looked round the room, at the holographic image, and the beeping monitors. “Bruce? Have you ever seen the film _Flatliners_?”  
  
“Years ago, but I don't know what you're getting at.”  
  
“We stop his heart,” Tony said.  
  
“What?” Morgan exclaimed. “We're trying to save him, not kill him.”  
  
“We stop his heart, wait until his brain activity stops, and then we start his heart again,” Tony said. “It'll be like rebooting a computer.”  
  
“You can't be serious?” Morgan said.  
  
“Deadly serious, if you pardon the pun.”  
  
“We're talking about a living being here, not a computer, or have you spent so much time with robots you've forgotten what a person is?” Morgan snapped.  
  
“Wait,” Bruce said, holding his finger up to his lips and thinking. “He might have a point. Using that much magic at once caused him massive amounts of pain, his brain is stuck in a loop trying to fix it again, but this might break the loop.”  
  
“You can't be thinking of doing this?” Morgan asked. “It's the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard.”  
  
“Isn't that why we invited Tony in here? We need a ridiculous idea, and this might just work.”  
  
“It worked in _Mission Impossible 3_ , as well,” Tony pointed out.  
  
“It might work, yes,” Morgan said. “It might just kill him too since absolutely none of the drugs we usually use to resuscitate people will work on him.”  
  
“Can you think of anything else that will work?” Tony asked.  
  
Morgan paused for a moment, and said, “No.”  
  
“Are we doing this?” Tony asked.  
  
“I don't think we have a choice,” Bruce replied.

 

 

 

“Are you sure?” Morgan asked, as he stood over the bed with the defibrillator paddles in his hands.  
  
“Do it, Bruce said.  
  
Morgan placed the paddles on Loki's chest. “Clear.” He discharged it, causing Loki's body to tense slightly, and slump back on the bed.  
  
They all turned and watched the hologram; the heart monitor at the bottom jumped, stuttered for a moment, and then carried on beating strongly.  
  
“Charging again,” Morgan said. “Clear.”  
  
The defibrillator discharged again, and this time the heart beat monitor went wild, beating erratically, until it finally stopped.  
  
“How long do we wait?” Tony asked.  
  
“Until the brain activity stops,” Bruce replied.  
  
They watched the hologram, as the red began to fade, replaced by greens and deeps blues, and the twitching seizure that had gripped Loki for almost an hour finally ended.  
  
“Bring him back,” Tony said.  
  
“Is that enough?” Morgan asked.  
  
“It'll have to be,” Bruce replied. “Do it.”  
  
“Charging… Clear.”  
  
The heart monitor went wild, beating irregularly.  
  
“Turn it up, and hit him again,” Bruce said.  
  
“Charging… Clear,” Morgan said, as he discharged the device again, but Loki's heart rate remained stubbornly erratic.  
  
“Higher, try a higher setting,” Tony snapped.  
  
“It doesn't go any higher,” Morgan exclaimed, as he discharged it again.  
  
Tony walked to the door, opened it, and shouted, “Get in here, now!”  
  
“What is it?” Thor asked, as he stood and entered the room, quickly followed by Frigga.  
  
“Do whatever you do, bring the lightning, just electrocute him NOW.”  
  
“What?” Thor asked incredulously, as he watched Morgan and Bruce desperately working on his brother.  
  
“I don't have time to explain, just put your hands on his chest and give him an electric shock.”  
  
“I must bring down the lightning, and it may cause some damage.”  
  
“I don't care if you raze the god damn tower to the ground, just do it.”  
  
Thor went to the window, and smashed the glass out of it, and raised Mjolnir to the sky. Dark clouds gathered overhead, rain began to fall, and then a loud crash as a single fork of white light came down, connecting with the hammer, and blew out the windows of the surrounding rooms.  
  
“What do you want me to do?” Thor asked.  
  
“Put your hands here, and here,” Bruce said, arranging them on Loki's chest. “Start low, don't fry him.”  
  
Loki's body convulsed for a second, as Thor released a bolt of electricity through his chest, his heart beat went wild, then lapsed back into the same abnormal rhythm.  
  
“Again,” Bruce said.  
  
Thor unleashed another bolt, and Loki's heart stuttered into life, but quickly faded.  
  
“Again, but higher.”  
  
“You're going to kill him!” Morgan exclaimed.  
  
“He's a fucking god,” Tony shouted. “He can take it! Do it!”  
  
Thor sent another pulse of electricity through Loki, as Frigga watched, quietly crying behind him, and Loki's heart rate went wild again, but then settled into a gently normal rhythm.  
  
“Did it work?” Thor asked, as Bruce took a step away from the bed, and ran his hands over his face.  
  
“Yes, it worked,” Morgan said, as he checked Loki over.  
  
“I've had enough of this,” Tony said angrily. “We know Doom can perform magic and he would never create a virus that could infect him without having a cure. I'm going to get it, and I don't give a damn what Fury or anyone else does. I'm not gonna sit on my ass and watch him die while they discuss politics.”  
  
“I will accompany you,” Thor added. “I would have words with Doom.”  
  
“Me too,” Bruce said.  
  
“Jarvis, can you patch me through to Clint?”  
  
“Of course sir, Agent Barton is online now.”  
  
“Clint?”  
  
 _“Yeah?”_  
  
“Can you head up top and power up the Quinjet?”  
  
 _“Sure, taking a trip?”_  
  
“We're going to Latveria.”  
  
 _“It's about damn time,”_ Clint replied.  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I messed up any medical facts!
> 
> VERY sorry this hasn't been updated yet. Was going to finish the final chapter today (Friday) but got called in for a job interview, and am doing charity work on Saturday, so HOPEFULLY the final chapter will be up on Sunday!


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey, Phil.”

“What do you want, Stark?”

“Can’t a friend just call for a chat? What makes you think I want something?”

“The fact that you phoned me by choice, and I haven’t had to hound you for three days to return my calls. Plus I can hear the Quinjet engines in the background. Kind of a giveaway.”

“OK, we need a favour.”

“And I guess this favour relates to a certain Norse god?”

“Doom has a cure, we all know it. We’re going to get it.”

“Fury will never approve that without government or UN backing-”

“Coulson, this is Loki we’re talking about here. You were the one who fought to get him on the team. You can’t abandon him now.”

“Oh, I wasn't saying that. If you’d let me finish I was simply going to wonder what would happen if a certain persons all powerful father threatened to destroy our planet if a team wasn't sent to the find the cure.”

“You’re suggesting Odin should declare war against us?”

“He isn't party to international laws, he doesn't have to adhere to a formal process to declare war. If he says we’re at war, then we’re at war.”

“We haven’t got time to get Odin down here now.”

“Stark, Odin doesn't have to do this by the usual channels, in fact, oh, he just appeared to me in a vision and declared war.”

“He did?”

“Of course not. I’ll pass the message on to Fury.”

“Will he be OK with this?”

“This wasn't my idea.”

“Wait, this was _Fury’s_ idea?”

“An attack on U.S. soil against one of our own? You really think he wasn't trying to come up with a way for an all out invasion?”

“Thanks, man.”

“Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Good luck.”

 

*

 

The castle was oppressive, built on a crag overlooking Doomstadt, with high spires that reached towards the sky. They landed the Quinjet high in the mountains, far enough away from the castle that their presence would go unnoticed.

“So what have we got?” Steve asked.

“I could only pull a basic layout off Shield’s mainframe,” Tony said, as he brought up a holographic display, and everyone gathered round. “There are two guards posts on this side of the castle, and on the other side there’s one more post and a central surveillance tower.”

“It’s a shame Loki isn't here,” Natasha said. “He could have teleported us all in and it would have been over in five minutes.”

“Next time we fight, he will be with us,” Thor said, and Natasha smiled, placing a reassuring hand on his arm.

“I’d like to avoid the guard towers if possible,” Steve said. “Anywhere likely to unguarded?”

“Unguarded, no. _Less_ guarded, either the servants quarters or the art gallery, maybe?”

“Doom has an art gallery?” Clint asked.

“Oh, yeah, and he’s incredibly protective of it,” Tony replied. “Maybe we could break in there, blow up a few priceless art treasures and find the cure while he’s too busy weeping?”

“You can’t destroy art!” Bruce exclaimed. “I thought you were an art collector yourself?”

“That was more Pepper’s than mine, and I think I might have donated most of it to… somewhere, I can’t remember.”

“Wait,” Steve said, as he pointed at the vague line that ran under the castle on the hologram. “What’s this?”

“ I'm not entirely sure,” Tony said as he moved closer. “Jarvis, can you access the Quinjet scanners, and find out what that is?”

“Sir, a quick look at Google can provide you with that information,” Jarvis replied over the Quinjet comm. “Castle Doom is built on a fault line, and has been destroyed three times in the past by earthquakes.”

“That’s our in,” Tony said.

“We’re going to cause an earthquake?” Natasha asked. “How are we going to do that?”

“We have our very own tectonic weapon right here,” Tony said, as he laid his hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

“What do you want me to do? Bruce asked. “Jump up and down till I cause an tremor?”

“Oh, I've got a bigger plan than that,” Tony replied.

 

 

“You’re sure this is the fault line?” Bruce asked as he climbed into the hole Tony had carved out of the rock with his lasers.

“Absolutely,” Tony replied.

“And you just want me to push two whole continents apart?” Bruce asked, sarcastically.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Tony replied. “Can you do that?”

“I’ll be honest, I've never actually tested what the other guy’s limits are. I'm kinda interested to see what happens.”

“Give us at least 15 minutes to get to there, then suit up,” Steve said.

“Good luck,” Bruce shouted after them as they disappeared out of his vision and headed towards the castle.

He waited, counting down with his phone, and at 14 minutes he put it in his trouser pocket, safely securing it with buttons so it would not be lost. He held his breath and thought about Loki, all the pain and torture Doom had put him through, and began to feel anger welling up inside him.

 

 

As the Avengers huddled against the wall outside the servant’s quarters, out of sight of the guard’s towers, they felt the ground begin to shake.

“He did it,” Tony laughed. “He actually did it!”

“How long before we go in?” Natasha asked.

“Give it a minute or two,” Steve said. “We need it to be really chaotic in there.”

“We must hurry,” Thor said impatiently. “We do not know how long Loki has.”

“I know you’re worried,” Steve said, “but for this to work we need them really distracted. Give it a little longer.”

Thor huffed in displeasure and continued to wait until Steve gave Natasha a sign with his hand.

She moved along the group, sticking to the wall as closely as she could then stood up as she reached the level of the window. Steve grabbed her ankles, and pushed her up high, then asked, “You see anything?”

“Other than some pretty squalid living conditions, no, it’s empty.”

Steve dropped Natasha back to the floor, directing her to move back along the wall, and said, “Tony.”

Tony edged out a little, using his lasers to neatly snip away the metal bars that covered the window, and catching each one as the fell to the ground.

“Jarvis, can you scan for life signs?”

“All human life signs are currently in the Art Gallery, and moving towards the vehicle launch area, however I cannot account for location of the robotic guards until we are inside the castle,” Jarvis replied.

“We good to go?” Clint asked.

“Yup,” Tony replied, as he launched himself up, caught the side of the edge of the windowsill, and hauled himself inside.

“Clear?” Steve asked from outside.

“Come on in.”

One by one the Avengers climbed in through the open window as the floor still shuddered under their feet.

“How long did you tell Bruce to press the fault line for?” Clint asked, as a small puff of white dust fell from the ceiling over their heads.

“Err… I actually didn't tell him when to stop,” Tony replied.

“We need to move fast.”

“I agree,” Steve said. “This place isn't going to stand up to shaking for long.”

“Jarvis, can you scan the castle and find the location of any labs within the building? Anywhere that may have been used for medical research.”

“The research and development laboratories are located in the sub-basement catacombs, but they cover a wide area.”

“Can you transfer that information to someone’s cell phone?”

“Transferring detailed maps to Agent Barton’s phone now.”

Clint pulled out his phone, and swiped the screen. “Got it.”

“I have also sent out a signal to the surveillance cameras that cover the castle,” Jarvis said. “They are now showing a static image.”

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Tony replied.

“What’s the plan?” Natasha asked.

“We head down to the catacombs. If we run into any bots, try to kill them before they see you so they can’t raise the alarm,” Steve said. “When we get down there we’ll split up for the search.”

“Let’s go,” Natasha said, and they headed out into the corridor.

 

 

 

“This makes me feel at home,” Thor said, as they quietly edged their way into the catacombs, quickly destroying any bots they came across. “It is very much like the dungeons in Asgard.”

“Remind me not to break the law next time we’re there,” Clint said.

“I am detecting electrical activity in the next corridor, sir,” Jarvis said. “I believe there may be another guard.”

“Guard in the corridor,” Tony said.

“I’ll take care of it,” Natasha said, and she stealthily moved around the corner. There was the sound of a scuffle, and then the bot's head skittered past the end of the corridor.

“Nice job,” Clint said, as Natasha appeared, wiping her hands on her thighs.

“Thanks. Rest of the corridor’s clear,” Natasha said. “Left or right?”

“Time to split up,” Steve said, then he asked, “Tony, can Jarvis scan far enough to alert the other team via Clint’s phone if there are guards?”

“Won’t be 100% accurate from a distance, but it’ll be better than nothing.”

“OK, you guys go left, search every room, look for computers, medical equipment, anything that might have been used, and stay in touch,” Steve said, and the others nodded. “Tony, you’re with me.”

 

*

 

Frigga sat with Loki, gently cradling his increasingly cold hand in hers, willing him to stay with her until Thor got back. His fingertips had turned white earlier, and now the colour was fading from them, leaving them a sickly grey that was slowly darkening.

She jumped as one of the machines started beeping, and Dr Morgan ran into the room, followed by two nurses. “What is happening?”

“The alarm means he isn't getting enough oxygen. I'm afraid I'm going have to ask you step back for a moment,” Morgan said, as he ushered Frigga out of her chair, and away from the bed, then he turned to the nurse and said, “Prepare him for intubation.” Morgan turned back to Frigga. “We’re going to put a tube down his throat to help him breathe.”

“He is not improving,” Frigga stated quietly. “His fingers, they are turning black.”

“We just need to hope they can find the cure, and Loki can hang on till they get back with it.”

 

*

 

Steve and Tony entered the final lab on their corridor, it was small, a bank of computers lined one wall, and a door stood at the other end of it.

“Looks promising,” Tony said as he opened his faceplate, pulled off his gloves, and started working on one of the computers.

Steve tried the door, but it was firmly locked, and a keypad blinked next to it. He pressed one of the buttons below the numerical keypad, and a light came on revealing a second door. “I definitely think were onto something here. Looks like an isolation room.”

“Give me a second,” Tony said, and then the lights came on.

“You’re into the computer already?”

“Yeah, his password was ‘God’”

“Really?” Steve asked. “Even I wouldn't be that lame.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Your first password was ‘USA’. A five year old could have guessed that.”

“Well, I've learnt a lot since then.”

“Yeah, I guess anyone would learn from having tasteful nude photos posted on their hacked Facebook,” Tony said as he continued to type.

“I still don’t know how Loki made them. They weren't real.”

“You should just count yourself lucky that you weren't shot for that DM he sent to president's wife on twitter,” Tony said, and then he stabbed at a key and said, “and voilà!”

The strip lighting inside the sealed room flickered into life one by one, revealing 20 empty beds, rows of animal cages, and laboratory equipment against the back wall.

“What the hell?” Steve gasped. “He was doing human testing?”

“He has it all documented. 30 Latverian gypsy magic users were captured and used to develop the virus, then once he developed the cure, all of them were killed.”

“We have evidence?”

“Not only documents, but video footage too. Fury is gonna have a field day with this,” Tony tapped on the keyboard. “Jarvis, can you access all this information over the network, then upload it to my private server, and send a copy to Shield?”

“Of course, sir. Upload is now in progress.”

“So where’s the cure?” Steve asked.

“Working on finding it now,” Tony said not taking his eyes off the screen as he typed. “And…” Tony hit a key and the door at the end of the room popped open. “The cure is kept in the refrigerator at the end of the room.”

Steve went in, closing the door behind him, and then entered the room through the other door. He quickly moved to the other end of the lab, pulling open the refrigerator door, and taking out a white plastic tray that held several syringes of a green fluid.

“Think this the cure?” Steve asked, holding the white tray.

“Bring it out and we’ll run some tests on it,” Tony said.

Steve headed back through the double doors, and then placed the tray on the desk. “Can Jarvis analyse it?”

“Maybe,” Tony replied, picking up on of the syringes and jabbing it into his neck.

“No, don’t!” Steve shouted, and Tony depressed the plunger. “You idiot, Tony, that could be poison for all we know.”

“Jarvis, do a full body scan and tell me if I'm dying.”

“With pleasure, sir,” the A.I. replied. “Scan in progress. All outputs remain at baseline levels. The antibodies in the formula are attacking viral cells close to the injection site, and their surface is beginning to destabilise. Viral replication is also slowing, and I estimate that the virus will be fully eliminated within 48 to 72 hours, sir.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Tony replied, as he tucked the syringes into a compartment into his suit, and pulled his gloves back on. “You guys OK without me?”

“We’ll be fine,” Steve replied. “Go on, get going.”

“See ya back home,” Tony replied, as his faceplate slammed down. He raised his hands, and used his repulsors to blow a hole in the ceiling of the lab, out into the castle, then another through the exterior wall, and then blasted into the sky.

“Jarvis, give me an estimated arrival time.”

“The distance to Stark Tower is 4369 miles, and travelling at approximately mach 8, I estimate our travel time is 43 minutes and six seconds, sir.”

“Can you direct more power to the thrusters?”

“Shutting down all non essential systems will reduce our flight time 35 minutes and 14 seconds.”

“Do it,” Tony said. “What’s the next biggest power draining system?”

“Life support, sir.”

“How much power can we drain from that before I black out?”

“Approximately 37%, sir.”

“Do it, and tell me the new E.T.A.”

“Out new flight time is now 30 minutes and 44 seconds, sir.”

“Outstanding.”

 

 

“Guys, Steve said they got the cure,” Clint said as he held up his hand to his earpiece. “Tony’s taking it back now.”

“This is excellent news,” Thor said, smiling broadly.

“OK, we’re gonna rendezvous with Steve back at the corridor intersection and head out,” Clint said as he picked up his bow, opened the lab door, and came face to face with an iron mask.

“Bot!” Natasha shouted, preparing to attack.

“No,” Doom breathed. “Doom is no bot.”

Thor growled, twisting Mjolnir in his hand.

“Odinson” Doom hissed. “How is your pet trickster?”

“You will pay for what you have done to my brother,” Thor barked.

“I think not,” Doom said, as he raised his hand and blasted the Avengers with a concussive wave.

Thor raised Mjolnir, deflecting most of the blast, and shielding Clint and Natasha from the worst of the blow, but it still knocked them onto their backs. Clint loosed an explosive arrow, which detonated two feet from Doom as it crashed into his force field.

As Doom moved forward, dropping his shield, raising his hands again to attack, Thor threw Mjolnir with all his strength, and it collided with Doom’s chest knocking him back, sending him flying across the corridor, and crashing into the wall outside.

“After I have defeated you, and seen to it that the trickster is dead,” Doom said, as he climbed to his feet. “I will take the Tesseract and Asgard will fall before Doom.”

“Never!” Thor roared, as he rushed forward, Mjolnir raised, and smashed it down onto Doom’s force field.

“Bots!” Clint hollered as he followed Thor out into the corridor and saw the wave of mechanical men heading down towards them.

 

 

Steve could hear the sounds of battle as he moved down the corridor, and picked up his pace, running as fast as he could until he rounded a corner and found Clint and Natasha taking on a full army of robots, while Thor traded blows with Doom behind them.

Steve raised his shield, slicing the edge down in to the back of the unguarded neck of the closest bot, and watched as it spluttered and fizzled, collapsing in a heap on the floor.

“Nice of you to show up,” Natasha shouted, as she smashed a bot in the eye with a knife, plunging it deep into it’s circuits, and twisting viciously.

“Better late than never,” Steve said, as he smashed another bot with his shield, flinging it into the wall, and grinding until sparks started to shoot out of it’s broken joints.

“I agree with that sentiment,” Clint shouted as he jammed an explosive arrow in through vulnerable mouth of a bot then detonated it, blowing it's head apart.

They fought together, working their way through the bots, destroying them as a team, until they stood among the smoking wreckage, as Doom and Thor fought a vicious battle.

As Doom dropped his force field to unleash a fierce blast of energy at Thor Steve whipped his shield down the corridor, and it connected the side of Doom’s head, making him stagger to the side.

“How dare you attack Doom? I am the exalted ruler of this state,” he said. You are here without authority, and you will be punished as war criminals for daring to take arms against Doom.”

“Don't be so sure about that,” Steve said.

“I am relieved to see you here, Captain. Another Avenger to meet his death.”

“You can kill me, if you can, but it won’t do you much good when there’s an army about to knock on the doors of your castle.”

“An illegal invasion of my country will not be tolerated by the international community.”

“Oh, I wouldn't worry about it being illegal. I imagine the Security Council will probably be meeting soon to discuss how to deal with you after they see the footage we sent them.”

“Footage?”

“30 Latverian nationals subjected to torture and medical testing, then killed. Ring any bells?” Steve asked. “The footage has been emailed to every government and law enforcement agency in the world. I'm _pretty_ sure that old diplomatic immunity thing isn't going to apply when people see that.”

Doom paused a moment, then said, “We will meet again, Captain, and next time you will not escape with your life,” as he teleported away.

“Well,” Clint said. “That was a lot easier than I expected.”

“We have to get out yet,” Natasha said. “God knows how many of those bots are waiting upstairs for us.”

“You OK?” Steve asked Thor.

“Aye, “Thor replied. “I am ready to fight.”

 

*

 

Tony was starting to feel dizzy by the time they hit the outskirts of the city, and was relieved when he saw the Tower on the horizon.

“Jarvis, bring up all non essential systems, and turn on the heat vision cameras.”

“Systems are online. Switching to heat vision camera,” Jarvis replied, as the HUD display changed to a swirl of colours, which showed 3 people inside a room against the far wall. “Sir, we appear to be flying directly at the tower.”

“I know,” Tony said as he raised a hand and aimed a repulsor blast at the exterior wall of the medical bay, and flew through the gaping hole.

Tony landed, and as the dust cleared he raised his faceplate and strode across the room.

“What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” Morgan snapped, as he coughed, choking on the thick dust.

Tony opened the compartment on his suit and pulled out the syringes. “Give him it.”

“It’s the cure? Do we need to test it?”

“Already done, give him it now.”

Morgan popped the top of the needle and injected into the I.V line that ran below Loki's collar bone, as Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is that it?” Frigga asked. “When will he wake up?”

“It could be any time, we really don’t know if or when his magic will kick back in, and how much of the damage it’s going to be able to correct.”

“Loki was once decapitated and healed from that.”

“Oh…” Morgan said. “Well, I'm sure he’ll be OK then…”

 

*

 

Loki was on the ventilator for a week before he started to breathe on his own, and hologram of his body showed his brain activity increasing day by day, swirling in patterns of different colours. His fingertips and toes lost their sickly grey shade, and the black sections of the hologram displaying his stomach and intestines slowly lightened from black, to grey, and finally a healthy shade of red as his magic healed them and restored the blood flow.

“Bruce, Bruce,” Frigga shouted, and Banner quickly crossed the lab. “Loki awakens!”

His eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Loki?” Bruce asked, but there was no response, and his eyelids fluttered closed.

“He’s not awake yet, but it’s a very good sign,” Bruce said, “He’ll probably be unresponsive for a while, and when he does wake up he might be confused, but he’s coming back.”

 

Loki had been opening his eyes for a week, but had never responded to anyone or anything, but it was happening more often and everyone was sure it wouldn't be long until he woke up properly.

“You back again?” Bruce asked, when Tony walked into the medical lab, and sat by Loki’s bed.

“I thought I’d sit with him for a bit,” Tony said. “Anyway, I enjoy watching the hologram. His brain activity is kinda like watching a lava lamp. It’s very relaxing.”

"Thor said it reminds him of the Bifrost," Bruce said, as he carried a tray into the other room.

As the door swung shut, Tony looked at Loki, and noticed his eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling, then his head tilted, and he looked Tony in eye.

“Hey, hey Bruce! I think he’s waking up!” Tony shouted, he turned back, and said, “How are you feeling? Everyone has been so worried about you.”

Loki narrowed his eyes, and his lips curling into a sneer. “You think your prison can hold me, mortal?”

“What?” Tony asked, sitting up straight his seat.

Loki launched himself out of the bed, pulling over the I.V. stand by his bed, and then ripping it out all together.  He threw himself at Tony, landing on his chest, knocking him off the chair and to the floor, punching him in the face, and then he sagged against him, losing consciousness.

 

“How does that feel?” Bruce asked as he handed Tony a cooling pack to put over the rapidly darkening bruise that covered his cheekbone.

“I’ll live.”

“For a guy who was dead a week ago he still packs a punch.”

“I know you said he'd be confused,” Tony said, rubbing his eyes, “I just didn't expect him to be quite _that_ confused.”

Loki mumbled something under his breath, his fingers twitched and his head moved to one side. He opened his eyes, scanned round the room a second and then focused on Tony and Bruce.

“What happened to your face?” Loki asked weakly.

“I walked into a door while drunk.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Was it a revolving door? You appear to have been hit several times.”

Tony smiled. “Jarvis, can you tell Thor and Frigga that Loki is awake and being sarcastic.”

“I will inform them now, sir.”

“How are you feeling?” Bruce asked, as he moved to the side of the bed, and handed Loki a glass of water, which he sipped delicately.

“Better, what happened?”

“Kicked Doom’s ass, found the cure, saved your life,” Tony said. “I was the hero of the hour, of course.”

“Of course,” Loki replied, rolling his eyes.

The sound of clumping feet echoed down the hallway, and Tony said, “I think you’re about to get one very over enthusiastic visitor.”

“Oh joy,” Loki replied, as he put his glass of water down.

The door slammed open, and Thor bounded into the room. “Brother! You are well!”

“Of course I am well, you oa-” Loki was cut off as Thor pulled him into a tight hug.

 

 

Despite Loki’s improving condition, Bruce still felt the need to hover over him, noting his every movement, every output from every machine. It wasn't unusual for him to fall asleep in the chair by Loki’s bed, but it was unusual for him to wake up and find the bed empty.

“Jarvis, where’s Loki?”

“He is outside on the landing platform, sir.”

“Why the hell didn't you wake me?” Bruce asked as he jumped out of his chair.

“Because he does not appear to be in any danger.”

 

Bruce crept quietly into the living room, it was 5am, and the sun was beginning to peek up above the skyline, casting a strange watery golden glow across the platform outside.

Loki was sat on the edge, and Bruce’s heart leapt into his mouth, until he edged closer and saw the tired look of happiness on his face. He raised one hand, then hesitated, his brow drawing together in worry for a second, and then he moved his hand, conjuring a small flame. He broke into a wide smile, allowing the flame to snake round his hand, making it burn brighter until it burst upwards into the sky.

Loki grinned, then flung himself forward into the air.

“No!” Bruce shouted as he ran towards the edge of the platform, but Loki was not falling. He was surrounded by a green glow as he changed into a large hawk, his wings beating against the air, carrying him higher, until he soared over the city.

Bruce marvelled as Loki changed forms repeatedly, from a hawk, to a bat, to a peacock, to winged horse, to a cow without wings that tumbled through the air, and then finally back into a hawk again. He wheeled around the sky, letting out screeching calls, and then finally landed back on the platform, taking his own shape as his feet hit the floor.

“I have missed doing that,” Loki laughed.

“You scared me half to death,” Bruce said.

“My apologies, but Stark told me once that practical testing is always the best way.”

“You knew you’d be able to transform, right?”

“Well, I hoped I would...”

“You are nuts, you know that?” Bruce laughed

"So I've been told," Loki replied with a smile as they headed back inside.

 

 

“Hey, you’re up and about,” Steve said with a smile, as he walked into the kitchen later and found Loki staring at the open food cupboards. “You feeling better?”

“Much, thank you,” Loki replied, drumming his fingers against his chin.

“What are you up to?”

“I am attempting to decide what I would like to eat, but this is just pitiful. Pass me the menu of the food delivery service, please.”

“Which one do you want? Pizza? Chinese?”

“All of them,” Loki replied.

“All of them?” Steve asked. “ Shouldn't you be starting with something plain? People who haven’t eaten for a while get sick if they eat a lot.”

“Oh, nonsense, Captain,” Loki replied. “When my lips were sewn shut, after they cut the cords I ate for three whole days without rest. My father was most upset, and had to restock the whole kitchen.”

“OK,” Steve said, as he handed over the menus, “but don’t blame me if you get a bad stomach.”

Loki took the menus and browsed them for a while, before finally settling on two different menus, and flipping through them. “I can’t decide.” He threw the menus back at Steve. “Will you order for me?”

“Sure,” Steve said as he picked up the phone.

“Actually, just order me one of everything off those menus,” Loki said, then he glance up at the ceiling and said, “Oh, and Jarvis?”

“Yes sir?”

“Is Stark in the building?”

“He is in the lounge area. He claims he has a headache that is nothing to do with the copious amount of left over Asgardian mead he drank last night.”

“Excellent,” Loki replied. “Are you capable of broadcasting music to every room on this level?”

“I am indeed, sir,” Jarvis replied. “Might I suggest downloading the new album?”

“An excellent idea, Jarvis,” Loki replied, with a chuckle. “An excellent idea.”

 

In the living room Tony grinned as he held his hands over his ears to blot out the sound of the latest Justin Bieber single, and shouted, “ Loki! I'm gonna kill you!”


End file.
